


The Dreamers

by lilieeees



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Compliant, Comfort, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, more characters will be added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-18 17:08:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 31,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28995750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilieeees/pseuds/lilieeees
Summary: What was life like for Hogwarts students during the Potter era?This fic will be canon-compliant but not centred on the Golden Trio. Instead, it will focus on my little group of OCs who happened to have the (mis)fortune of being in the same year as Harry Potter. I wanted to write what Hogwart's must've been like for other students but I didn't want it to be heavily focused on the characters we already know. I hope you give it a chance!_Robin settled down on the seat, staring out the window. Hogwarts— his father had always spoken fondly of the school, the few times he had spoken, of course. Robin was excited. He had received a copy of Hogwarts: A History a year ago and he had read it so much that the cover had fallen off. A place full of magic, filled to the brim with secrets and students that were like him. Still, he would miss his house and his mum. He had never been gone for that long.A knock interrupted his thoughts and he turned to see a nervous-looking girl with a buzz cut. “Hello, do you mind if I sit with you?”Robin shook his head. “Not at all...are you a first-year as well?”
Kudos: 8





	1. September, 1991

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! First of all, I want to thank my fabulous friend Geena, who not only helped me edit my work but also put up with my endless questions over this fic. 
> 
> This will be canon-compliant but not centred on the Golden Trio. Instead, it will focus on my little group of OCs who happened to have the (mis)fortune of being in the same year as Harry Potter. I wanted to write what Hogwart's must've been like for other students but I didn't want to be heavily focused on the characters we already know. 
> 
> I will try to update once a week and I plan to include all 7 books. 
> 
> I really hope you guys like it! Please let me know what you think!

His eleventh birthday was okay, for a lack of a better word. His father had been busy at work, as per usual, and his mum had taken it upon herself to invite a few of the children that lived in the neighbourhood to celebrate with him. She had baked his favourite cake and let them be as loud as they wanted whilst they ran around the house.

Robin wasn’t fooled. His mum usually hated the chaos but this time, it seemed like she used it to anchor herself. She had been downcast ever since his acceptance letter to Hogwarts had arrived. They all knew it was a matter of time; he had been levitating and vanishing things here and there since he was five. Yet it seemed like his mum hadn’t given up the hope that her son might turn out to be just as mundane as she was. 

That wasn’t the case. His owl came; his father had received it and mumbled something about picking out his school materials on his way back from work before giving his son a small pat on the shoulder and apparating off to work. His mum had looked crestfallen before composing herself and turning her back to her son, already planning the supposed party. 

Once everyone had gone home, Robin found himself staring at his parent’s bedroom door, where muffled sobs could be heard coming through. His father was not home yet and he didn’t know what to do. 

The next day his mum pretended as if nothing had happened. His father had made some time throughout the day to take him to Ollivander’s and his mum had ushered him out with his father before he could ask if she was coming. She wasn’t. 

His trip to Diagon Alley had been short and to the point. His father dropped him off at Ollivander’s and left to get some money from Gringotts. Ollivander was a kind and patient man who didn’t seem to mind the mess that Robin had created with the first two wands he had tried. “I can replace the lightbulbs. It’s no big deal, Mr Sallow.” 

The third wand had seemed to hum in his hand. It was a dark black wand with white silvery lines that ran from the bottom of the wand all the way to the top. Robin thought they looked like wisps of smoke. It was an Ebony wand with a core of dragon heartstring. “Go on, wave it around.” Ollivander’s words snapped his attention back to the matter at hand. He waved the wand and a bright light emerged from the tip. It almost felt as if the wand was happy. Ollivander smiled and Robin smiled back. “I believe we’ve found your wand, sir.” His father arrived back just in time to pay.

Unbeknownst to Robin, his eleventh birthday would dictate his relationship with his mum going forwards. It was his father that took him to the Hogwarts Express. It made sense since he knew where it was but what didn’t make sense was that his mum faked ill in the morning so as to not see him off. Robin felt odd; his mum had always come to see him off whenever he went on a school trip or anything of the sort. Yet this time she had left him alone with his father, who was a man of few words. 

His father’s pat on the back did nothing to soothe his anxiety. Albert Sallow, his father, either didn’t notice or didn’t care— Robin could never tell. He was a hard man to read: his face was stoic, void of any emotions, and his eyes always seemed miles away. He wasn’t able to speak of his work so he never spoke much, not to his wife and not to his child. Robin’s departure to Hogwarts bore no exceptions. 

He gave his father a small smile and boarded the train, turning back to wave goodbye but his father had already gone. _All the better,’_ he thought, _quick goodbyes are easier to handle._ He trudged along trying to find an empty carriage. The train was bustling with activity, with new students trying to find friends to sit with and older students meeting up with their friends and taking over the carriages. 

Robin was able to find an empty carriage at the very back of the train and managed to hoist his trunk in the overhead compartment. He settled down on the seat, staring out the window. Hogwarts— his father had always spoken fondly of the school, the few times he had spoken, of course. Robin was excited. He had received a copy of _Hogwarts: A History_ a year ago and he had read it so much that the cover had fallen off. A place full of magic, filled to the brim with secrets and students that were like him. Still, he would miss his house and his mum. He had never been gone for that long.

A knock interrupted his thoughts and he turned to see a nervous-looking girl with a buzz cut. “Hello, do you mind if I sit with you?”

Robin shook his head. “Not at all...are you a first-year as well?”

The girl grinned, stepping into the carriage and sitting in front of him, extending a hand as she did. “Too right, my brother is in second year but he insisted I have the same experience he did, so I can’t sit with him.” 

Robin shook her hand. “How kind of him...what house is he in? I’m Robin, by the way.”

Her smile faltered a bit as she struggled to remember. “I’m Evelyn and...I think it’s called Gryffin-something, it’s the red house.”

He gave her a funny smile at her description. “Gryffindor, that’s the red house...are you not...” He struggled to come up with the right words. He didn’t want to offend her but curiosity always got the best of him. “Are you not a pure-blood?” Seeing her frown he quickly added, “Not that I care! I just thought, with your brother also being a wizard and all…” 

The girl let Robin trail off before shaking her head. “Both of our parents are...muggles, I believe that’s the word.” Robin nodded and she carried on. “It was a nasty shock to both of them at first but my dad couldn’t be prouder. You should’ve seen him when we got to Diagon Alley for the first time. He seemed like a little kid!” Her smile was contagious and Robin couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. “I’m glad you don’t mind, my brother warned me that some wizards hate muggle-borns but...well I’m used to people being pricks. My brother and I were the only black kids in our school, plenty of pricks there too.” She nudged him with her foot. “What about you? Are you a pureblood?” 

Robin shook his head. “My mum’s a muggle but my father’s a wizard. That makes me a half-blood.”

Evelyn nodded along. “One of my brother’s friends is also a half-blood...to be quite honest all the blood talk comes across as rubbish to me. Who even cares?”

Robin gave a non-committal shrug. “I don’t but a lot of pureblood families care and the pureblood families that don’t care are considered blood-traitors.” Evelyn grimaced and Robin thought it best to change the subject. “Anyways, what house do you want to be sorted in?” 

The rest of the train ride passed rather quickly after that. Evelyn was a very kind and friendly girl. She listened to Robin’s explanation of the four houses and their characteristics and all the fun facts and details about Hogwarts that he had memorised. She was also very funny, making Robin’s anxiety fade away with well-placed jokes and hilarious anecdotes. 

They both missed out with the trolley. Robin’s father had forgotten to give him any money and Evelyn only had muggle currency on her, which the trolley lady politely refused. The sky started to darken and they both opted to put on their uniforms. Evelyn lamented loudly and several times over the fact that she had to wear a skirt. “Honestly! Jeans and pants are so much more comfortable. Whose stupid idea was it to make the girls wear skirts...oi, Robin, switch uniforms with me!” Meanwhile, Robin had complained about having to pull down and hoist his trunk back up several times, despite Evelyn’s teasing. 

Once they arrived at Hogwarts, a rather tall man led them towards the lake and had them board small boats that sailed to the castle. Robin and Evelyn shared a look of understanding and boarded the same boat, staying close together. He wouldn’t say it out loud just yet but he felt immensely relieved to have made a friend on the way. Sailing at night to the imposing castle was nerve-wracking. He couldn’t imagine doing it alone. 

Once they arrived, they were made to wait in the hallway as Professor McGonagall, as she introduced herself, welcomed them to the school. Robin tried his best to explain to Evelyn how the sorting ceremony worked and found himself starting over again and again as more muggle-born students approached them to hear. Finally, they were called over and led inside the Great Hall. Both Evelyn and Robin, along with some of the other first years, were immediately mesmerised by the enchanted ceiling— granted some students looked more scared than mesmerised but still. 

They had to wait some more as a hat, _the Sorting Hat_ , his mind supplied, sang a truly horrendous song. Evelyn had to stifle her laughter, burying her face against Robin’s shoulder, and he struggled to keep a straight face as well. Once the song was over, Professor McGonagall went and stood next to the stool with the hat and pulled out a list. Evelyn finally stopped laughing and turned to look at the stool with pure horror. “Surely she won’t make us go in front of everyone.”

Robin stifled a laugh. “I’m afraid so but I’m sure you’ll live.” She nudged him with a smile, settling down once the names started being called. 

“Abbott, Hannah!” A pink-skinned girl with blond braids unsteadily stepped out of the line. She went to put on the hat, which fell in front of her eyes and sat down on the stool. There was a moment of silence and then the hat cried out, “Hufflepuff!” 

The table to the right started cheering loudly and Hannah hurried along to sit with them. “See, it’s not so bad.” He said to Evelyn, but she was still staring at the stool with pure horror. McGonagall carried on once the cheers had ceased. 

“Abbott, Lucas!” A pale boy with dark hair and striking blue eyes nervously walked up, all but shoving the hat down against his head. “Ravenclaw!” The corresponding table cheered but none cheered louder than Lucas, who had a look of pure joy and relief as he handed the hat back to McGonagall before rushing over to his table. 

The sorting went on with students nervously walking up and happily stepping down from the stool. It was becoming rather dull until Neville Longbottom left the stool without returning the hat, having to rush back amongst the laughter. “Oh no, the poor bloke.” Whispered Evelyn next to him. Robin just tried not to join the giggles that could be heard throughout the hall. McGonagall carried on, unshaken.

“Potter, Harry!” The room started buzzing with whispers. Evelyn turned to Robin, silently asking him to explain but Robin was far too busy looking at Potter to notice. Naturally, he knew about Harry Potter. Despite his father’s usual silence, that was a story that did not go untold. He hadn’t realised, however, that he would be in the same year as him. “I’ll explain later,” he whispered once he saw Evelyn’s face. “He’s like a hero of the wizarding community.”

She gave him a puzzled look. “Isn’t he eleven?”

He waved her question off. “It’s a long story.” 

Harry Potter was sorted into Gryffindor after a long time with the sorting hat. The table’s roars and cheers were almost deafening. There weren’t that many students left now, just him, Evelyn, two blond and pale girls who seemed to be glued at the hips, another girl who stood to the side looking ready to faint as her name was called, and three other boys. One who kept looking over at the Slytherin table with a small smile; a ginger kid who kept looking over at the Gryffindor table, specifically towards three other ginger kids, _the Weasleys_ , he thought; and one boy who stood by himself with his arms crossed. 

He caught the eyes of the latter kid and he felt immediately rooted to the spot. The boy in question offered him a small smile, his deep brown eyes twinkling with kindness whilst he nervously ran a tan hand through his wavy black hair. 

“Thompson, Mark!” Robin felt like an idiot, only managing to smile back once the boy had turned away to walk towards the stool.

Evelyn noticed, of course, she did, nudging his shoulder with hers. “You alright there? You have the dopiest grin ever.”

He frowned, quickly grimacing, “I do not!”

“Ravenclaw!” Mark quickly rushed over to the table, sitting down next to the kid that had been sorted at the very beginning. “Sallow, Robin!” His head snapped back to the front and Evelyn gave his hand a brief squeeze as he walked forward. He wondered what house he’d go to. Hopefully not Slytherin. He doubted that his half-blood status would grant him too many friends there. He at least hoped that he and Evelyn got to be together. He didn’t know anyone else. 

His panic was quickly stifled once the hat covered his eyes. He felt a voice in the back of his mind, _“Hello, what have we here?”_ So that’s how the hat worked, it got in your mind. Still, the entire concept was hard to grasp. How did the hat work exactly? Was it enchanted? It had to be, but what sort of enchantment? Did more objects as this one exist? The whole thing reminded Robin of legilimency.

His train of thoughts was cut short by what felt like a tickle inside of his head. The hat was chuckling. _“You’re rather curious aren’t you? Quite eager to learn and rather clever too…must be-”_ This time the voice came from outside of his head. “Ravenclaw!”

He handed the hat back to McGonagall, going to sit next to Mark and Lucas who were eagerly waving him over amongst the cheers. He glanced back towards Evelyn who gave him a happy but nervous smile. 

The blonde girls followed: Clover Selwyn, who was sorted into Slytherin, and her fraternal twin, Trisha Selwyn, who went to Hufflepuff. The Weasley kid was next and was immediately sorted into Gryffindor, much to his obvious relief. It was finally Evelyn. 

“Williams, Evelyn.” She stumbled up onto the stool and the hat was placed on her head. For some reason, Robin felt more nervous during her sorting than his. He wanted to be with his friend and a part of him was terrified that they would be separated. 

“Hufflepuff!” His stomach plummeted. Evelyn handed back the hat and rushed over to her corresponding table. Once she had sat down, she turned back to look at Robin. He gave her a thumbs up and she returned it with a nervous smile. He barely registered Blaise Zabini’s sorting. His anxiety was slowly creeping back as a low hum and prickling sensation in his head.

A hand clamped down on his shoulder, startling Robin and turning his attention back to the table. Lucas was grinning at him, his hand still clamped against Robin’s shoulder. “Cheer up, mate, we’ll share classes with the Hufflepuffs!” He had a posh drawl, despite his best attempts to mask it. His face was adorned with an easy-going smile and Robin found himself smiling back despite the jitters of anxiety still coursing through him. 

The headmaster, Dumbledore, was giving his welcoming speech. He politely warned the student body to stay away from the third-floor corridor and ended the speech rather absurdly. Robin didn’t know whether he should laugh or not. Plenty of students were, particularly the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables. Mark seemed to have the same dilemma, turning around to look at Robin and Lucas. “Is he serious?” 

Lucas laughed. “He’s an odd fellow but don’t underestimate him. He’s the most powerful and intelligent wizard to live, according to my mum.”

Mark did not seem convinced but he didn’t argue. He simply turned in surprise when food appeared on the table. “Blimey…” 

Robin forced himself to eat. Without Evelyn’s easy-going presence, his anxiety had returned ten-fold but he knew that if he didn’t eat now he would regret it later. He couldn’t stumble into the kitchen for a midnight snack here. Lucas seemed to be torn between shovelling food into his mouth and explaining the house system and classes they would take to Mark. 

_Makes sense_ , Robin thought. Lucas Abbott was part of the Sacred 28. He was a pureblood. It was only natural that he already knew who taught what at Hogwarts. He tuned out the rest of the conversation and dinner passed by in a blur. Before he knew it they were being walked to the Ravenclaw dorms which were up in the towers. He faintly heard Mark comment on the moving staircase and how they were a hazard with Lucas replying that that just made them more fun. 

The prefects explained how they had to solve riddles in order to get into the common room and that the boys were strictly forbidden from going into the girls’ room and that charms had been put in place to prevent any mishaps. The first-year girls, Mandy Brocklehurst, Padma Patil, and Lisa Turpin had dissolved into giggles at that. Robin himself found his interest peak at both the prospect of the riddles and powerful charms. Still, his anxiety reeled back to the front once the explanations were done. He climbed up to the dorms with Lucas and Mark and three other first-years: Terry Boot, Michael Corner, and Anthony Goldstein. 

Lucas Abbott, Mark Thompson, and Robin were paired off to bunk together in the first dormitory, and the other three were assigned the room across the hall. Robin entered quietly, his stomach still twisting and turning as he looked for an open bed. He noted that his trunk was next to the bed furthest from the door and walked over to it, numbly changing into his pyjamas and climbing into bed. 

He heard Lucas and Mark doing the same and the room was plunged into darkness. One of them must’ve turned off the lights. The minutes seemed to tick by and Robin couldn’t fall asleep. He missed his bed. He missed his mum ruffling his hair before he went up to bed. He wondered how she was. If she was feeling any better or if she was hiding and crying again. He’d send her an owl tomorrow.

He heard quiet footsteps going from one bed to another followed by hushed voices. The back of his head started buzzing again. Mark and Lucas were already great friends it seemed. He couldn’t help but to feel like the odd one out but he couldn’t very well join them on whoever’s bed they were on...that would be weird. 

“Oi, Sallow! Are you awake?” It was Lucas if the posh accent was anything to go by, whispering loudly across the room. Robin sat up, looking towards the bed where the voice had come from. It was the one right next to the door. “I’m awake...is something the matter?”

A shuffling sound could be heard followed by someone patting Lucas’s mattress. “Come join us, mate, we’re bonding over our homesickness here!” This time he didn’t bother with the whispering. Robin didn’t think twice. He walked over, nearly tripping over what he assumed were Lucas’s shoes, and sat down on the edge of the bed. Lucas was sitting up against the headboard and Mark was sitting at the foot of the bed, leaving Robin somewhat in the middle. 

“Sorry, I just...I’ve never been away from home.” Mark’s voice was quiet and apologetic. “It’s just me and my grandpa and it feels weird to leave him behind.”

Lucas reached over to clamp his hand on Mark’s shoulder, much like he had done to Robin during dinner. “Don’t worry, mate, we’ll have classes to distract us soon enough and you can always owl him.”

Mark glanced over at Robin as if trying to communicate something. His look was indiscernible so Robin merely nodded along to Lucas's words. “I don’t know if my grandpa will know how to write by...owl. He’s not a wizard, you see...I’m guessing you two come from wizarding families.” Now Robin understood the look. 

“I’m a half-blood. My mum’s a muggle, er, not a wizard. She wouldn’t know what to do with an owl but my father helps her.” Lucas glanced at both of them before settling on Robin. “I thought you were a pureblood, what with your surname being Sallow. That means your father is Albert Sallow...my aunt works with him. She’s an Unspeakable too.” Robin frowned. He didn’t remember his father mentioning any Abbotts working with him, granted the man didn’t mention much about his job, or anything really. 

“I didn’t know there was an Abbott as an Unspeakable.” Lucas shifted nervously but didn’t reply to that. Luckily Mark intervened before it got awkward.

“What’s an Unspeakable?” Lucas exchanged a look with Robin to see who would explain first, neither of them seemed to take the lead so they started talking over each other until they finally settled on a nice rhythm of complementing each other’s explanations as to what the Ministry of Magic was and the different jobs within them. 

It turned out that Lucas’s mum worked in the Ministry as well, dealing with the Trace that was placed on them until they turned seventeen. Lucas failed to mention what his father did, asking what Robin’s mum did instead. “She’s a teacher at a primary school.”

The pureblood grimaced at that. “Nothing against your mum, I just had an awful tutor for my primary education. She was so dull.” 

Robin snorted. “Rich prat.” He was smiling though and Lucas caught onto the joke, giving him a playful shove.

“Oi, watch yourself, Sallow!” He laughed, catching himself before he fell off the bed, his anxiety was slowly fading into nothingness. Lucas' attention turned back to Mark. 

“What about you? What does your grandfather do?”

“He owns a small café down in Greenwich.” 

“What about your parents?” 

Mark seemed to shut off at that. Robin nudged Lucas with his foot, shaking his head quietly. It had been rather obvious to him that that was not a wanted topic. Mark had never brought them up once. Lucas seemed to catch up on that seeing Robin’s look and stuttered out an awkward apology. 

“No, it’s alright...they died two years ago. Car crash, they were coming back from the airport and well…” Mark trailed off awkwardly, clearing his throat before continuing. “My dad was a college professor and my mum was a nurse. They were also muggles.” 

“What’s an airport?”

“What?” Mark no longer sounded sad. Instead, he was looking at Lucas as if he had grown two heads. 

“Oi, you weren’t aware that there was a Ministry of Magic two seconds ago, mate, ease up!”

Robin couldn’t help but laugh, earning him a swift kick on the leg from Lucas. “Ow! An airport is a place that muggles go to travel to different countries.”

Mark nodded along to Robin’s explanation and added on. “They get on an aeroplane and fly.” 

Lucas glanced between the two before nodding. “You’ll have to show me someday...where did they travel to before…they died...” 

“You have no tact, Abbott.” Lucas gave Robin a rather affronted look over the comment. Thankfully, Mark seemed to find it funny, a smile gracing his lips for the first time since his parents were mentioned. 

“It’s alright. They had gone to India, my mum’s side of the family is from there so they had gone to visit.” 

Lucas nodded. “I’ve never been but my mum has. She said it was lovely.” 

Robin shrugged, “I’ve never left the country.” 

Mark drew his knees up to his chest. “I had only gone twice...maybe I’ll go again someday.”

Sensing that the boy’s mood was once more turning sour, Robin quickly intervened. “You can take Lucas with you, show him how an aeroplane works.”

Mark gave him a grateful smile over the change of topic. “I reckon I could, it would be fun.” 

Lucas grinned at them both. “I’m glad we’re in the same house. You two seem nice.”

Robin blinked at the change of topic but found himself smiling nonetheless. “Me too, I don’t know anybody else here at Hogwarts and...I was feeling rather down earlier.” 

Mark smiled at him, scooting a tad closer. “I was a wreck on the train. I sat with two Griffyndors, they’re a year above us, they were nice and all but...I dunno, it’s all rather scary, innit?”

“I was with my cousin during the train ride but she was far too nervous to even talk to me!” At Mark’s and Robin’s puzzled look he added. “Hannah Abbott, she got sorted into Hufflepuff. I don’t know if I’m glad or not that she’s not in our house….she’s rather dull and a tattle to be quite honest.” 

Mark laughed. “You’re bloody awful!”

Lucas ducked his head in shame although he sported a wide grin. “I’m just honest! Tell him I’m not so bad, Robin!” 

“I can’t defend you when you’re actively digging a deeper hole to bury yourself in, mate.”

Lucas let out a mock-gasp, clutching at his chest before lunging at Robin. “How dare you, sir!”

They both toppled backwards, colliding against Mark’s legs. 

“Get off, Abbott!”

“Not until you apologise, Sallow!”

“Fat chance!”

Mark laughed, kicking them away from him. “When you lot are done fighting, can one of you explain what the Trace is?”

That seemed to stop Lucas from his attempts at crushing Robin. He sat up, smoothing down his shirt. “Did no one explain it to you? Blimey…” 

He waved at them to settle back on the bed. Robin did, leaning against the headboard as he attempted to smooth his hair back down. Lucas's straight black hair just looked slightly ruffled but Robin’s hair was curly and he feared it had frizzed up during the scuffle. He always looked ridiculous when it did. 

Lucas didn’t seem to care about the state of his hair as he settled back against the headboard as well and started a long and detailed explanation as to what the Trace was, how it worked, and what loopholes it had. 

Lucas was excellent at explaining it. His voice was calm and firm, making sure to leave no possible questions unanswered and before he knew it, Robin had fallen asleep. He found himself in the morning, under the covers of Lucas’s bed. Lucas himself was snoring next to him and Mark was lying at the bottom of the bed, also tucked under the sheets. 

Lucas had vehemently denied tucking them in but Mark had whispered to Robin that he hadn’t done that and Robin distinctly remembered falling asleep on top of the covers. Lucas’s ears had reddened when Mark cut off his denials to thank him and the conversation had ended there. 

Robin smiled to himself as he ate. Mark and Lucas seemed great and he already felt as if he had a close friendship with them despite having just met. He caught Evelyn’s eye across the tables and she gave him a bright smile that he happily returned. He didn’t feel anxious once that day. 


	2. First Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Rowle, why don’t you sit with me?” Mark and Robin glanced back only to quickly realise that the ‘Rowle’ in question was Lucas, whose face had gone pale before contorting itself into an angry grimace.
> 
> “Don’t call me that, Malfoy!” 
> 
> The blond boy blinked in surprise before sneering. “It’s your last name after all. Us purebloods need to stick together....you shouldn’t mingle too much with their sort.” At that, he had aimed a nasty glare at both Robin and Mark. 

Flitwick, Ravenclaw’s Head of House, had distributed everybody’s timetable at breakfast with a rather impressive demonstration of a levitation spell. Robin had looked it over with muted excitement whilst Lucas seemed to loudly complain over having Astronomy classes at midnight every Wednesday on top of every Monday afternoon. 

“That’s a bloody crime! It’s far too late!” 

Mark rolled his eyes in response. “Well, it needs to be dark out for the practical class to work.”

Lucas ignored Robin’s reply. “At least we have Transfiguration every Monday.” Lucas said. Robin went back to observing his timetable. Every Monday they started with double Potions, followed by Transfiguration then they had lunch followed by Charms, History, and then Astronomy. Frankly, it didn’t seem like a bad way to start the week. 

The three boys left the Great Hall together, trying to make sense of the map that Flitwick had provided them with. They didn’t seem to have much luck, seeing how the map failed to indicate which staircase led where when they moved. They had to double back twice, barely making it to Potions on time. 

The door had slammed shut after they entered and they quickly shuffled to an empty table. Evelyn was sitting at the table next to them along with three other Hufflepuff girls and she gave Robin a friendly smile. “Wotcher Robin! I’m glad we’re sharing this class.” 

Robin smiled back as Mark and Lucas introduced themselves to Evelyn. Hannah Abbott, one of the girls sitting next to Evelyn, greeted her cousin and said a polite ‘hello’ to both Robin and Mark whilst the third girl, Trisha Selwyn, looked at them with curiosity but only seemed to greet Lucas. _She’s a pureblood_ , _part of the Sacred 28,_ Robin thought, _of course, she thinks Mark and I are below her._

“Me too! We get to see each other at the start of every week.” He replied once they had all finished their introductions. 

“Quiet!” Everyone’s attention snapped back to the front where the professor stood, glaring. 

Potions ended after what felt like a while and Lucas was fuming by the end of it. “Greasy git!” the pale boy had hissed as they exited the dungeons. “Why become a professor when he clearly hates every student! How did he even get to be Head of House? Granted it’s Slytherin and they’re all awful, but still!” 

Mark caught Robin’s eye as Lucas kept fuming next to them. Both boys shared an amused look and silently opted to let Lucas continue with his tirade. The only one interested in echoing his thoughts was Evelyn, who was cursing the professor out as well. She had lost her house five points when she failed to answer a question and had also received a scathing remark about her intellect over it. She didn’t seem quite ready to forgive their professor. Hannah Abbott just seemed horrified over the conversation and Trisha, who had yet to utter a word, just kept looking at Evelyn as if she were a puzzle she couldn’t quite figure out. 

The Hufflepuff girls had waved goodbye as they went to their D.A.D.A. class whilst the three boys, once more, struggled with the map to find the Transfiguration classroom. 

“This is bollocks! There has to be a better way to navigate this school!” Robin agreed with Mark’s cry of outrage as they found themselves on the wrong moving staircase once more. Nevertheless, they managed to find their way to the classroom only to be immediately accosted by a pale blond boy. 

“Rowle, why don’t you sit with me?” Mark and Robin glanced back only to quickly realise that the ‘Rowle’ in question was Lucas, whose face had gone pale before contorting itself into an angry grimace.

“Don’t call me that, Malfoy!” 

The blond boy blinked in surprise before sneering. “It’s your last name after all. Us purebloods need to stick together....you shouldn’t mingle too much with their sort.” At that, he had aimed a nasty glare at both Robin and Mark. 

Robin merely rolled his eyes whilst Mark’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. Draco Malfoy, _he’s a right git_ , he thought. Of course, he wasn’t too surprised. The Malfoys had a reputation after all. Lucas seemed the one about ready to explode. “Piss off, Malfoy!” He shouldered his way past the Slytherin boy, nearly stepping on a cat in the process as he stormed his way to the back of the classroom. 

“Come on, mate.” Robin grabbed Mark’s sleeve, tugging him past Draco and towards Luke. “What was that about? Why did he call you Rowle?”

Lucas whirled around to glare at Robin. “None of your business!” 

“Hey, don’t take it out on us!” Lucas levelled his glare at Mark next but didn’t bother to reply, going over to sit next to a Slytherin girl, Clover, and slamming his bag against the table in the process. She merely turned her nose up in the air and angled herself to sit further away. 

Mark and Robin exchanged a glance before sitting down at the empty desk. “I wonder what crawled up his arse…” Robin pursed his lips at Mark’s statement. He had a hunch and was about to share it with his friend. Unfortunately, his reply got cut short as the cat that was nearly trampled by Lucas transformed into Professor McGonagall. Mark’s book let out a loud thunk as it dropped to the floor and Lucas’s ears turned bright red. 

Transfiguration passed rather fast and once the class had ended Lucas rejoined the two boys. “Merlin, I can’t believe I nearly trampled our professor…” Robin and Mark had laughed at that and their earlier tiff had been all but forgotten. At lunch, Mark seemed to take over the conversation as he tried to guess what was hidden in the third-floor corridor. 

“What about a dragon?” 

“There’s no way! They’re far too big to find inside Hogwarts, nevermind a room.” Robin said as he grabbed a second helping of treacle tart.

Mark gave Robin a nonplussed look. “What about a troll?”

This time it was Lucas that interjected with a snort. “Please, a troll would never make it inside Hogwarts. ‘Sides, why hide a troll? They’re utterly useless.” 

Mark kept naming off magical creatures much to Lucas and Robin’s annoyance but neither of them tried to put a stop to it. Mark seemed far too happy to list off as many creatures as he could and Robin found himself enthralled by the boy’s passionate voice. 

The next class they had was Charms and Lucas and Robin spent half of the class eyeing Harry Potter up, since they shared this class with the Gryffindors, and the other half whispering the tale of The Boy Who Lived to Mark whilst Flitwick wasn’t paying attention. Their History class was perhaps both their best and worst class. They shared it with the Hufflepuffs again, much to Evelyn and the three Ravenclaw boys' pleasure but the professor left much to be desired. 

Their professor was a ghost who seemed to ramble on with the same monotonous tone, not noticing if students were paying attention or not. Robin had found that truly appalling. “Why don’t they replace him? No one is learning anything like this and history is important!” Seeing Hannah Abbott’s raised eyebrows he added. “Not only does it help us understand our current laws and regulations but we can also learn about our previous mistakes and, hopefully, not repeat them again!”

Lucas stood up with a grin. “You’re right, mate. Let’s do something about it!” He trudged to the back of the classroom, his two friends following along. Lucas cracked open his history book and started reading, pausing momentarily to give his opinion on something or listen to Robin’s thoughts and answer Mark’s questions. Soon enough, Evelyn joined them with her own book and a wide grin. 

The rest of the Hufflepuffs—Ernie Macmillan, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Hannah Abbott, and Susan Bones—stayed in their seats, opting for the ghost rather than Lucas’s improvised tutoring. From the Ravenclaw house, Terry Boot, Mandy Brocklehurst, and Michael Corner stayed in their seats as well but Anthony Goldstein, Padma Patil, and Lisa Turpin joined their little group at the back. Much to Robin’s surprise, Trisha Selwyn also joined them after a bit, murmuring a quiet but polite ‘Hullo’ and sitting next to Evelyn.

The rest of the afternoon passed by in a pleasant blur. They had Astronomy with the Gryffindors and by then the fascination over Harry Potter had somewhat died down. Dinner was spent with lively chatter over how to complete the homework they had received and Robin finally felt as if he was finally able to navigate his way across the castle. 

Fate proved him wrong, naturally, and they got lost on their way back to the common rooms. Lucas barely managed to pull the other two into a broom closet to avoid being caught by Filch after hours. Once the man and his cat had walked off, they quietly exited the closet and rushed to their tower, a sigh of relief escaping all three boys as they managed to get inside the common room. 

Mark had wandered off to the bathroom and Robin thought it was the perfect time to corner Lucas. The blue-eyed boy had been skimming a Quidditch magazine on his bed when Robin plopped down next to him. “Rowle’s your father’s surname, isn’t it?”

Lucas stiffened before levelling a nasty glare at Robin. “Piss off, Sallow!”

Robin carried on, unshaken. “When you said your aunt worked as an Unspeakable, you meant Regina Rowle. I knew there wasn’t an Abbott working as an Unspeakable!” Lucas’s hands tighten against his magazine. 

“Fine! Yes, my father’s a Rowle, he is Thorfinn Rowle since you seem to care so much. My parents are divorced and I never see him so drop it!” Robin hesitated slightly. Clearly, the topic was not a welcomed one. _You’re going to lose your friends if you don’t curb your curiosity_ , his mind supplied. Robin shoved the voice to the very back of his head. 

“Why did you get so angry when Malfoy called you Rowle?” Lucas aimed an incredulous look at Robin as if he couldn’t believe that he was still being questioned over this.

“Because he’s a right bastard that’s why! He thinks he’s better than everybody because he’s a pureblood and part of the Sacred 28. He hates muggle-borns and half-bloods and he’s...he’s not a good person but I’m nothing like him!” The last part was said with an air of desperation, and he looked at Robin with a pleading look. 

_I'm the right bastard_. Thought Robin. _He told me not to push and I pushed._ He placed a hand against Lucas’ shoulder, a poor imitation of what the other boy had done last night. “I’m sorry I pushed…”

“We know you’re not like him, mate.” Both boys turned around to look at Mark, who was standing behind them with a small grin and kind eyes. “You tucked us in last night. I doubt a ‘right bastard’ would tuck in a half-blood and a muggle-born.” Lucas's face grew red but a smile graced his lips. 

“It’s okay...you lot were going to find out sooner or later about my father...and I didn’t tuck you in, Thompson!” The tension dissipated from the room.

The rest of the week seemed to pass by rather fast. Lucas had loudly complained at every possible turn over their D.A.D.A. professor who seemed to be a rather meek man who didn’t precisely try to teach them any sort of defence. Robin agreed with him wholeheartedly. The professor seemed more inclined to speak about dangerous creatures and spells without actually explaining how to fight back. It almost seemed as if he didn’t want the students to learn how to defend themselves. It didn’t help that they shared this class with the Slytherins as well. Malfoy had snubbed all three of them, not that he minded, but Lucas had seemed to have entered some weird rivalry with Clover Selwyn and he had pulled both Robin and Mark into his chaos, all three boys earning detentions and losing house points.

Their Flying class was okay. Robin had struggled to keep his balance on his broom at first and even though he got the hang of it, he didn’t love the prospect of hanging in the air like that. Lucas and Evelyn were naturals at it, although Lucas had confessed that he had been flying with his mum since he was five years old. Evelyn did not stop showing off when the professor complimented her natural skill at flying, much to Robin’s annoyance. Mark had been the one to suffer the most. He had let out a rather colourful stream of curses when his broom tipped sideways whilst he was on it causing him to nearly fall off of it. That had cost the Ravenclaw house twenty points. 

Herbology was a rather relaxing class. Professor Sprout was kind and easy going and Robin found himself enjoying the classes. Potions was unbearable thanks to Professor Snape who seemed more than eager to pounce at every opportunity to humiliate, bully, and yell at a student. Lucas had proudly earned his first week-long detention when he talked back to Snape, telling him that he was supposed to be a professor, not a personal tormentor. 

Transfiguration seemed to be Lucas’s favourite class, having a natural talent for it, something he did not stop rubbing into poor Clover’s face. Robin found himself to be rather average at it and Mark stated his hatred for it when his spell failed once more. Still, they all loved the class thanks to Professor McGonagall who was very strict but also fair and a good motivator. Robin loved the way she explained her class and the faint smile she would give when she saw her students trying their hardest. History was perhaps his favourite subject but that was thanks to Lucas who had taken over Professor Binns’ class, not that the ghost had noticed. 

September seemed to fly by. Robin found himself growing very close to the two Ravenclaw boys and before he knew it, they were inseparable. Evelyn as well often joined their group. She and Mark had a love for books that was unmatched and the two of them often pulled Robin and Lucas to the library either to revise or simply to learn new spells. 

They all had their little quirks. Mark loved learning new spells and new potions but not to simply know them. The brown-eyed boy had a talent for finding new uses to old spells that most often served a pranking purpose or as a possible defence against attacks. Evelyn loved to read about magical creatures and she was the top student in Herbology. She already knew what plants to use and how to soothe burns and cuts. Her kindness and joy were also highly contagious. 

Lucas was perhaps the hardest to pinpoint in terms of personality. He loved giving out nicknames to others but hated being called ‘Luke’. The young Ravenclaw was secretly a mother hen. He always seemed to know if either he or Mark hadn’t eaten properly or if they hadn’t slept well yet he was also the main cause of Ravenclaw’s decrease in house points and their now rapidly growing detentions. Lucas seemed determined to show that he was not a stereotypical pure-blood and in order to prove that, it seemed that he had to throw all manners and common sense out the metaphorical window. 

Robin wouldn’t trade them for the world though. He felt right at home with them, whether it was cleaning cauldrons by hand whilst Mark cursed Lucas out or falling asleep in Lucas’s bed whilst all three of them tried to figure out how to invent new spells. He felt right at home for once and despite the usual chaos that came with magic, like a Gryffindor boy who somehow managed to blow up his pumpkin during breakfast one day, there was a certain sense of peace that permeated the castle.


	3. Quirrell’s stupid turban & Halloween

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I dare you to throw it at the back of Quirrell’s stupid turban.” Lucas handed him a ball of parchment as he spoke. Robin raised a challenging eyebrow and grabbed the parchment. 
> 
> “Too easy, he won’t even feel it I bet.” He waited until Quirrell had turned around to face the board and threw it. Lucas and Robin watched, fascinated, as the ball flew in a perfect arc and hit the turban square on. 
> 
> Quirrell did feel it. The man had turned around with a murderous glint that moments earlier had seemed impossible to imagine. The stutter that their D.A.D.A. professor usually had was completely gone as he proceeded to yell at Robin. For once, he felt completely terrified and he could’ve sworn that his professor’s wand hand twitched as if he was about to draw it at Robin. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys are liking it.  
> Please let me know what you think!  
> Updates will be every Monday until further notice ;)

Before he knew it, it was October. Robin finally truly knew his way around the castle and was staying on top of his classes, despite the chaos that seemed to follow him. Lucas had started an outright war with Clover. It had gotten so bad that McGonagall had forbidden him from sitting next to or near her ever again. 

That hadn’t stopped either of them and they had both started throwing hexes at each other when no one with authority was looking. Lucas had to deal with bright pink hair for an entire week and Clover had run to the infirmary when her hair wouldn’t stop growing. It had gone past her feet. 

Mark and Robin had started steering clear of them and Lucas had learned to warn them whenever Clover was nearby. This was mostly due to the fact that Clover’s spell had missed Lucas one day and Mark found himself the victim of their ongoing war. All of his books had levitated to the ceiling and wouldn’t come down. Robin had never seen him so angry. He had yelled until his face was bright red and Lucas was taking cover behind Robin. Clover had quickly run away when the screaming started. 

The crisis was averted when Robin managed to spell the books down. Lucas had spilt apology over apology and Mark had responded with two fingers in the air, cradling his books with his other arm. After that, nearly everyone knew not to mess with Mark and his books. 

Potions had also become an unpredictable scenario. Lucas seemed determined to do the exact opposite of what Snape said. Mark’s prowess at the subject was the only reason that their cauldron never exploded. Robin had been given the role of stopping Lucas from throwing the wrong ingredients into their brew and Mark was in charge of actually completing the potions. They always managed to brew it perfectly and turn it in on time much to Lucas’s and, apparently, Snape’s disappointment. 

History was somehow the calmest class Robin had. Lucas was a natural when it came to teaching others. The classes seemed to fly by and he always felt a twinge of sadness when it was time to leave. Another interesting development had been the trio’s rapidly growing friendship with Trisha. 

At first, the blonde girl had seemed very happy to ignore them, much to Mark’s confusion. Lucas and Robin had to explain to him all about the Sacred 28 and their penchant for ‘blood purity’ and Lucas had angrily noted how the Selwyn twins came from a family with a reputation for being all for blood purity. 

“They were on You-Know-Who’s side back when he was alive.” Robin quickly explained who that was before Lucas carried on. “So were the Malfoys and nearly all the Slytherins... my father too, that’s why my mum divorced him. She’s against all that...anyways, they’re all nasty and wrong in the head. The Selwyn twins are no exception.” 

However as the weeks flew by, Trisha seemed to join them more and more in their History class. What was even more curious was that Evelyn was the one who always invited her to join their little group. Lucas had made some rather rude comments towards the blonde girl and whereas her twin, Clover, would have no doubt hexed Lucas, Trisha merely ducked her head in shame. The raven-haired boy had stopped throwing nasty comments after three weeks of her presence. 

“Is Trisha nice to you?” Robin found himself asking Evelyn one day. “Her family’s not known for being nice to muggle-borns.” They were walking together to their History class and Trisha wasn’t around. He found it to be the perfect time to ask. 

“She didn’t talk to me at first but...well one night she came over to my bed and asked me what the muggle world was like and ever since then she’s been really friendly to me.” Robin gave her an incredulous look and Evelyn shoved him playfully. “Not all pure-bloods can be tossers like Malfoy and Parkinson. Some are alright, you know?” He nodded in agreement, Lucas was quite alright after all,  _ that pure-blood git is like a brother to me _ , he thought fondly. Some of the other pure-blood kids in his house were also very nice and welcoming. 

“I suppose so. Still, her sister isn’t nice.”

“Trisha isn’t her sister. They’re twins but they don’t share a brain.”

“Alright alright, no need to get so defensive over your precious Trisha.” He could’ve sworn that Evelyn had blushed at that. 

“She’s really nice once you get to know her. She’s explained so much about the wizarding world to me and she even comes down to watch me fly on the weekends!” Evelyn had been obsessed with Quidditch ever since Harry Potter had managed to get on the Gryffindor team but despite her incessant pleading, Professor Sprout had refused to let her join the Hufflepuff team as a first-year. If Trisha could handle Evelyn’s non-stop Quidditch ramblings then she truly was a saint.

So Robin found himself somewhat forced to agree that, perhaps, Trisha wasn’t so bad. Not that it mattered. Trisha and Evelyn were soon attached at the hip. Even the Slytherin’s hard stares and snide comments weren’t enough to draw Trisha away. Robin, Mark, and Lucas adjusted to the new member of their group and before they knew it, they were friends with her too. 

Trisha Selwyn was nice. Extremely nice, she was always willing to lend a hand or to help them get away whenever they were about to get in trouble. She had kind grey eyes that always shone with genuine happiness. She was particularly fond of animals, having a black cat named Tiffy that she tried to sneak into all her classes. Robin found himself drawn to her. She was always on the verge of laughter which seemed to compliment Evelyn’s personality of always telling jokes. 

Lucas himself had to admit that she wasn’t so bad and even stumbled out an apology for how he had treated her at first. Trisha had politely told him that she had understood why he had acted that way and she hadn’t minded. Before they all knew it, Lucas and Trisha had bonded over their rejection of the pure-blood norms. Life carried on after that. 

Robin found himself particularly adept at Charms, something Flitwick was overjoyed for considering he was his Head of House. Hermione Granger, a Gryffindor, had become a friendly acquaintance to Robin. She was also at the top of Charms class and they had developed a sort of friendly competition to see who would manage to cast the new spells first. Compared to Lucas and Clover’s rivalry, his and Hermione’s was rather tame. They would smile at each other despite their clear urge to beat one another in every class and they would help each other out when neither of them could figure it out. 

Lucas and Mark had taken to teasing him at the end of each class, saying how he clearly wanted to marry Hermione. Robin had only managed to stop the teasing by hexing Mark with a jelly legs jinx and teasing Lucas over Clover in turn. Still, he could feel their waggling eyebrows behind his back during every Charm class. 

D.A.D.A. had proven to be the worst class. Professor Quirrell seemed to be afraid of absolutely everything. His classes were dull and drawn out and they had yet to try a spell or anything of the sort. Mark seemed way too happy to simply pull out a book under his desk and read whilst the professor carried on with one of his many theories. Robin and Lucas, however, struggled to stay still. 

They had started a friendly competition between the two where they balled up small pieces of parchment and dared each other to throw it at someone or something without Quirrell noticing. Neither of them was too worried about being caught. The professor was not an imposing man by any means and the two of them had already received enough detentions to no longer consider it a real threat. 

“I dare you to throw it at the back of Quirrell’s stupid turban.” Lucas handed him a ball of parchment as he spoke. Robin raised a challenging eyebrow and grabbed the parchment. 

“Too easy, he won’t even feel it I bet.” He waited until Quirrell had turned around to face the board and threw it. Lucas and Robin watched, fascinated, as the ball flew in a perfect arc and hit the turban square on. 

Quirrell did feel it. The man had turned around with a murderous glint that moments earlier had seemed impossible to imagine. The stutter that their D.A.D.A. professor usually had was completely gone as he proceeded to yell at Robin. For once, he felt completely terrified and he could’ve sworn that his professor’s wand hand twitched as if he was about to draw it at Robin. 

He ended up with a month’s worth of detention, with Filch to make matters worse, and was kicked out from the class that day. Malfoy had sneered at him as he stumbled past the row of desks to exit the classroom. Merlin, never again would he underestimate Professor Quirrell, that was for sure. 

“How did he even know it was you?” Robin shrugged at Lucas’ question during lunch. “There was no way he could’ve known. His back was completely turned to us. It’s as if he has eyes on the back of his head.”

Mark patted Robin’s back. “Look at the bright side, mate, he didn’t take off any house points.” 

Robin gave him an incredulous look. “Cheers…” 

By the end of October, Robin had nearly forgotten the incident. Quirrell had gone back to being a nervous and meek professor, although neither he nor Lucas attempted to keep their ball-throwing contest going. The Halloween Feast had also been a welcoming distraction. His detentions ended the same day the feast took place and Robin felt lighter already. 

The older kids at Ravenclaw had talked about the feast so much that all three of them were eager to see what it was all about. The vast amount of candy that appeared on the table was enough to give him a toothache before he even tried some. He exchanged a look with Lucas and Mark and all three of them all but dove onto the table to grab as much candy as they possibly could. 

The Great Hall was louder than usual, with everyone talking excitedly and trading candies across tables. Robin and Mark had even started a small race with their chocolate frogs to see which one would reach Lucas's improvised candy-wrapper finish line first. Robin’s frog won and he was in the process of rubbing it in Mark’s face when a loud bang echoed across the room, silencing the students. 

Professor Quirrell was running up to the professors’ table. “A troll! There’s a troll in the dungeons...I just thought you ought to know.” The man promptly fainted. Robin couldn’t believe that this was the same man who had nearly hexed his head off a few weeks earlier. Then his words sunk in. 

The Great Hall drowned in chaos. Students were screaming, standing and rushing to the doors. The prefects and Head Boys and Girls were trying to contain the students whilst inching towards the door at the same time. It wasn’t until Dumbledore made purple sparks come out from his wand that the student body seemed to settle down. 

The Headmaster ordered the prefects to lead the students back to their common room and they did, all too glad to leave. The common room had been crammed tight with all the students. Everyone seemed nervous and scared over the sudden breach in security. The prefects were trying to soothe the worries of each and every student until finally a Head Girl seemed to have enough and ordered everyone to go to bed. 

“I remember Lucas distinctly telling me that a troll couldn’t be inside of Hogwarts,” Mark said as they all got ready for bed. 

Lucas aimed two fingers at Mark’s direction. “Piss off, a troll at Hogwarts was unheard of before.”

“I’m just saying, I remember an utter twat making fun of me for even suggesting the idea.” Mark bore a playful smile on his lips as he carried on. “I just hope that person feels truly ashamed right now.” 

“Wanker.” A pillow flew past Robin’s head to smack Mark in the face. Next thing he knew, the pillows were flying everywhere, whether they were tossed or levitated across the room, it was all a warzone. He happily joined the battle, ducking a pillow thrown by a laughing Lucas as he levitated one and aimed at Mark who was grinning like a madman. The troll in the dungeon was all but forgotten after that. 

Whispers of Harry Potter’s magical prowess had filled the corridors of the castle the next day. Some said he had blasted the troll in a million pieces, others that he had transfigured it into a small stick. In Charms class, Hermione confided in him that Harry had merely levitated the troll’s club above its head and dropped it. Robin had been impressed at that. He didn’t think he could face a troll, especially not as a first-year. 

November seemed to last forever. Everyone was eagerly waiting for December and the professors seemed to take that as a go-ahead to assign as much work as possible. Lucas, Robin, and Mark seemed to spend most of their afternoons at the library trying to complete all their assignments without angering Madam Pince. Evelyn and Trisha often join them, although both had confessed that they preferred working in their common room due to the fact that it was much warmer and cosier. 

November also came with the first Quidditch match. Robin found out that whilst he didn’t like flying, he loved watching. Mark was the one who seemed to enjoy it the most though, screaming words of encouragement whenever Harry Potter flew past their stands. Lucas and Evelyn seemed to sulk in a corner, both of them wishing they could play rather than just watch but Robin caught them cheering when Gryffindor won. Harry Potter had swallowed the snitch, somehow. Robin really wasn’t the one to question Quidditch tactics and rules. 

After that, all houses, excluding Slytherin, seemed to be alive with joy. Lucas had started to mock Slytherin’s loss whenever Clover was nearby. That had resulted in him having his cheeks swell up like a chipmunk and Robin and Mark had to rush him to the infirmary. 

“Why can’t you just leave her alone? You always end up hexed and in the infirmary.” Lucas rolled his eyes at Robin. 

“It’s the principle of things! Never surrender to a slimy Slytherin.” 

Mark scoffed. “You’re not exactly winning either…” 

“S’not my fault she’s a bloody psycho!” 

Madam Pomfrey managed to bring his cheeks back to their normal size and promptly ushered them out with a kind but strict warning to stay out of trouble.  _ Fat chance of that happening, _ thought Robin as Lucas whispered his plans for revenge. 

After that, Lucas seemed determined to get the upper hand. All three boys now had the duty to scour the castle in hopes of finding secret passages. They had discovered three so far and the mission for revenge turned into a challenge as to who could find more passages. Evelyn and Trisha had eagerly joined their hunt once they found out what they were doing. 

“Alright, there’s four of us,” Lucas announced one afternoon as they all met up outside the Great Hall, as they had become accustomed to. “Let’s split up. We’ll cover more ground that way. Mark and I will take the lower floors. Trisha and Robin take the upper floors. We’ll meet back in two hours.” 

“Aye, aye Captain.” Lucas shoved Robin away for his comment. 

Robin and Trisha hurried along to the third floor and started poking around at every stone that looked out of place and pulling at every tapestry. “So you lot found a stairwell behind a tapestry, a room inside a broom closet and a passage behind another tapestry?”

Robin nodded at her words. “The stairwell leads up to the fourth floor but it has a trick step. The room is just that...a room and the hallway leads down to the dungeons.”

Trisha nodded. “I think Filch uses them. It would explain how he seems to get from one place to another so fast, being a squib and all.” Robin nodded in agreement. “Probably, I just hope we never bump into him when using the passages...he’d probably threaten to hang us upside down once more.” 

The blonde girl shivered slightly. “He’s such a nasty and bitter old man.” Robin shrugged, ignoring the reprimands of a portrait as he pulled at yet another tapestry with no luck. “Oh no!” Robin turned around but before he could ask what was wrong he was hastily pulled into a broom closet. 

“Trisha! What’s the big idea?” Trisha furiously shushed him, going as far as to cover his mouth with her hand. Robin felt his temper rising and was about to shove her hand away when he heard Peeve’s maniacal laughter passing through the hallway they had just been standing in.

“Sorry, but that stupid poltergeist has it out for me. Mind you it’s all Evelyn’s fault! She provokes him!” Robin snickered, quickly trying to stifle it when Trisha aimed a nasty glare at him. 

“Sorry...where is she anyway?” 

“It’s her brother’s birthday so she skived off all her classes to celebrate with him.” 

“And she didn’t think to invite us.” Robin cracked the door open to check the hallway. Once he deemed it safe enough, he opened the door further so they could both go out. “How are they even celebrating? Not much to do at Hogwarts and neither of them can go to Hogsmeade yet.” 

“I don’t know...knowing them they probably spent their day in the Quidditch pitch. Her brother’s also a fan of flying...funnily enough he doesn’t care about the actual game.”

“You and her are quite close nowadays…” 

“I suppose so...why?”

Robin flushed slightly. “Don’t take this the wrong way…” Trisha stopped staring at an odd-looking stone to stare at him. “I just never thought a Selwyn would become best friends with a muggle-born wizard.” It was Trisha’s turn to blush. 

“I know… you know, a large part of me is glad I got sorted into Hufflepuff. It allowed me to see that my parents' ideals are...very wrong. Evelyn is so nice and bright. I can’t find a good reason to hate her and you and Mark, you’re both so talented at magic!” Robin felt his ego puff up slightly. “Clearly their notions of muggle-borns being unworthy are completely wrong. I am scared of what they would say and do if they found out who I’m friends with but… you lot are great and you’ve helped me open up my eyes.” 

Robin couldn’t help but give her a smile. “I’m glad we got to know you too. You’re quite alright for a Selwyn.”

Trisha laughed, aiming her wand at him playfully. “Don’t ruin the moment, you tosser.”

He placed his hands up as if to placate her when he heard a distinct meow behind him. “Oh no… it’s Mrs. Norris isn’t it?”

Trisha’s smile had vanished from her face as she nodded. “We’re not doing anything wrong though…” 

Robin had already taken her hand and had started tugging her away. “Doesn’t matter, Filch will think of something to give us detention for.” Trisha seemed to agree and soon enough, both of them were running away just as Filch turned the corner. 

“You two!” Filch’s angry shout just made them run faster. They ended up hiding behind the statue of a  one-eyed witch near the D.A.D.A. classroom. Trisha had offered to hide inside the classroom but Robin had promptly refused. He did not want to face off with Quirrell again. 

Filch’s staggering running steps could be heard. Both of them held their breath as the man passed them and rounded the other corner, still looking for them. “We got so lucky!” Trisha quickly hushed him. 

“Not so bloody loud, he’ll come back!”

Robin gave her a sheepish smile and rapped his fingers against the statue. “She’ll hide us again.” 

“Did you hear that? Knock again!”

“What?”

“Knock on the statue again, Robin!” 

He gave her a confused look but obliged. “It sounds hollow…” He knocked once more to confirm. “Bloody hell, Trisha! Did you just find another passage?” 

Both of them started examining the statue, trying to find a lever or something they could push. “There’s nothing...maybe it’s just a hollow statue.” Robin shook his head at Trisha’s words.

“Nothing is without purpose here...oi! I bet we need magic to open it!” 

“So what spell?” 

Robin brandished his wand and pointed it at the statue. “Alohomora!” Nothing happened aside for Trisha snorting.

“Isn’t that a tad too obvious?”

Robin pursed his lips, examining the statue. “If it’s a secret passage...maybe there’s a spell that reveals such things?” 

“That’s it!” Robin started rummaging through his bag, pulling out several of his books until he found a Charms book he had borrowed from the library,  _ Chadwick's Charms,  _ and immediately started rifling through it. Trisha scooted closer to look as well. “There! The Dissendium charm!” 

Robin grinned, setting the book down on the ground. “Brilliant, Trisha!” He pulled out his wand and aimed at the statue, he tapped the hump and spoke. “Dissendium!” They both watched in fascination as the hump seemed to open up into a gap large enough for them to fit one by one. 

“You did it, Robin!” He grinned, stepping aside to let her go through first. Both of them went through, noticing that the passage looked like a small tunnel that kept going forward.

“Lumos.” Robin waited until the tip of his wand lit up and stepped in front of Trisha, grabbing her hand. “I wonder where it goes…” 

The blonde girl peered past Robin’s shoulder nervously. “What if it leads us to the forbidden corridor? We’ll get expelled.” He frowned, considering her words, but stalked forwards anyways, pulling her along. “It’s not as if we were trying to go there...besides, you say that like we’re going to get caught.”

Trisha relented and walked along until they reached a small trapdoor. “Moment of truth, huh Robin?” He nodded and opened it slowly and was met with the immediate smell of sweets. 

“What the...is this the kitchens?” Trisha moved to stand next to him and opened the trap door fully, stepping up to get inside of the new room. 

“Robin!” came a hushed shout. “We’re in the cellar of Honeydukes!”

“What?” Robin hoisted himself up as well. “Merlin...we are!” 

They fully stepped inside the dimly lit room, mindful to be quiet as they could hear muffled footsteps and voices coming from above. 

“This is brilliant! I can buy my Christmas present before I go home.” 

Trisha looked at him as if he had gone insane. “Are you kidding? We can’t buy anything, we’re not supposed to be here.”

Robin shook his head with a grin and went about to poke around the room, gathering some sweets in his bag. “I’m not that stupid. I’m not talking about traditional shopping.” He was carefully replacing each item he grabbed with the few coins he had. Trisha seemed to get behind that idea and started copying him. 

Both of them left with their bags feeling much heavier. Trisha was still marvelling over their wondrous discovery whilst Robin led their way back. He himself felt rather accomplished. He had managed to get a pack of sugar quills for Mark, who always found himself nibbling at the end of his quill, a box of Shock-o-Choc for Lucas who had both a surprising resistance to spicy food and an incurable sweet-tooth and a tin of Sugared Butterfly Wings for Trisha because they simply reminded him of her. For Evelyn, he had already nicked a handful of Alihotsy seeds, the laughing plant, from Herbology. He thought that gift was rather appropriate, not only because she loved Herbology but because she was a prankster at heart.  
  
\- 

Before he knew it, it was December and all five of them were sharing a carriage on the train. Trisha had been running between her carriage and her sister’s. Mark had politely offered to include Clover since they had enough room, but the Slytherin girl had taken one look at Lucas and left. Robin sure hoped that them being apart for the Holidays would allow for their rivalry to die down.


	4. Holidays

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He tried to look around for his mum but he was having no luck spotting her. She’s probably waiting outside in the car, Robin grabbed his trunk, I should go out and find her. He turned to say goodbye to both Mark and his grandfather. 
> 
> Mark’s grandfather wouldn’t have it. He refused to leave Robin by himself and refused to let him walk out on his own. Robin found himself escorted by both of them despite his many protests not to worry. 

His father was not at the station. He had waved off Lucas's worried looks stating that it was probably his mum that had come for him and was waiting at the other end of the barrier. Finally, Lucas relented and rushed off to meet a blonde woman who had the same piercing blue eyes as him. 

Robin watched as the woman enveloped Lucas in a warm hug before they both apparated away. Trisha had already left to find her sister and parents, mumbling a quiet apology before rushing off, probably afraid of being caught with them. They all seemed to understand, not that Evelyn would have let them talk badly about her. 

Evelyn herself had already hugged them all goodbye. Her older brother, Michael had come to get her and lead her back to her parents who were waiting by the barrier. Evelyn’s father was easy to spot amongst the crowd, he had the same nose and easy-going smile as his daughter and he had enveloped both of his children in a tight hug. Robin could tell the man was asking a million questions per second but Evelyn seemed to take it in stride, answering just as fast. 

Michael seemed the most calm out of them, stepping past his father to hug his mum. He was tall, taller than Robin at any rate. He had only managed a small glance at him but he had felt rather struck by the boy’s  honey brown eyes and a bright wide smile. He moved with the confidence that was typical in a Gryffindor, especially one who knew that they were cool. Robin felt a small twinge of envy curl in his stomach. 

Mark finally tugged him away from his staring at Evelyn’s brother and towards the barrier where his grandfather was waiting. Mark’s grandfather was a quiet and polite man who gripped his grandson in a tight hug as soon as they spotted each other. Robin stood to the side rather awkwardly as Mark was examined by his grandfather. 

He tried to look around for his mum but he was having no luck spotting her.  _ She’s probably waiting outside in the car _ , Robin grabbed his trunk,  _ I should go out and find her _ . He turned to say goodbye to both Mark and his grandfather. 

Mark’s grandfather wouldn’t have it. He refused to leave Robin by himself and refused to let him walk out on his own. Robin found himself escorted by both of them despite his many protests not to worry. 

His mum was not outside waiting and neither was his car. Mark suggested phoning her and Mark’s grandfather, Robin had learned that his name was Edwin Anand, led him to the phone booth and gave him the necessary coins. Robin tried to hand them back but the man had fixed him with such a stern look that he quieted down and went inside the booth. 

It turned out that his father was supposed to get him and his mum had no idea where he was. She had sounded furious over the phone and had said she would be there in fifteen minutes before slamming the phone down. Robin listened to the dial tone for a few seconds before exiting the booth and retelling Mark and Edwin what had happened.

“Nothing to worry about, son. I’m sure your father just got held up at work.” Edwin had said. The man had sat down with both boys on a nearby bench and had started asking them about Hogwarts, how they had met and before Robin knew it he was asking questions back. 

He really liked Edwin. Mark’s grandfather was very kind, stern but kind, and Robin couldn’t help but see where Mark got his personality from. They both had the same dry humour and teasing wit. 

As he came to find out, Edwin was Mark’s maternal grandfather. He had come to the U.K. with his own parents when he had been two and had fallen in love with London as he grew up. He had met his wife at a rock concert and the rest was history. They had moved back to India for a bit when he had his daughter since both he and his wife had family there and his wife wanted to be closer to her family when dealing with her newborn. 

Soon enough they had come back and opened a small café, something they had both wanted and enjoyed. Now it was just him, his grandson, and their café. The man looked tired but Robin noticed how his eyes shone with happiness whenever he spoke of Mark. 

Robin had never really met his grandparents on either side. His paternal grandparents had died a year after he was born so he had no memories of them, just pictures. He had stopped seeing his maternal grandparents at the age of six. 

He had a few hazy memories of them including a fight that ended up with him no longer allowed to see his grandparents. He faintly remembered levitating a small toy towards himself when visiting his grandparents once. His father had been furious and they had left pretty quickly, his mum making a poor excuse to explain how the toy had not levitated. 

He remembered hearing his parents arguing through closed doors after that. His father kept yelling that muggles weren’t supposed to know about ‘this’ whilst his mum argued back in a quieter voice that they were her parents. He didn’t know how the fight ended but Robin never saw his grandparents again. 

Mark nudged him out of his reverie and pointed to a car where a woman was frantically waving him over. He stood up quickly, rushing to grab his trunk and get to his mum’s car. “Goodbye, Mark! Goodbye Mr. Thompson! Happy Holidays!”

His mum leaned over to kiss his cheek hello as he climbed in. Robin couldn’t help to notice that she looked furious, furious and tired. For the first time in a long time, his mum was not listening to music whilst driving. She just drove in silence.

His mum’s mood did not get better. Robin tried to talk to her about his classes and his friends and she tried to listen and understand everything he said but Robin could feel the disconnect. His mum didn’t know anything about the wizarding world and she seemed hesitant to learn. In the end, she had ushered him outside to play so that she could cook dinner. 

His father, who had been held up at work, arrived once they had finished dinner. His mum had looked furious when the ‘crack’ from the apparition had resonated within their home. His parents had locked themselves in their room and Robin could hear furious whispers coming out from it as he went to his own room.

The next morning both of his parents were quiet. His father told Robin that he would take him back to the platform at the end of Christmas break. His mum had scoffed at that. His father left shortly after and Robin couldn’t help but notice that he never made it back for dinner after that. 

Christmas was, for the first time in Robin’s life, a quiet affair. Usually, his mum blasted Christmas carols throughout the house and decorated the house beyond the limit. This time she only bothered to put up the tree and no music could be heard. Robin busied himself by sending his gifts, borrowing his father’s owl as his mum cooked. He could feel her gaze on him and he turned to give her a bright smile.

A nervous one answered him back. He saw his mum eye the owl as it took off and he couldn’t help but think that she seemed sadder as the owl flew away. He didn’t know why but it left him feeling uncomfortable. After that he busied himself with helping his mum, not that it changed much, Christmas stayed silent. 

_ Dear  _ _ Sallow _ _ ,  _

_ Merry Christmas, mate! Thanks for the  _ _ Shock-o-Choc, I still can’t believe you found that bloody passage without me. I slipped some of the chocolate with my mum’s normal sweets and she had quite a shock...get it?  _

_ Anyways, I’ve sent your present along with your owl. I got the same for Mark. Truth be told it’s a gift from my mum. It was her idea and she bought it after all. It’s a journal but I can see what you write and vice versa. This way I reckon we can pass notes to each other without McGonagall spotting us.  _

_ Yours,  _

_ Lucas _

_ Dear Robin,  _

_ Thanks for the sugar quills! They’re delicious. I hope your holidays are going well. The café’s been busier than ever, My granddad couldn’t be happier but he’s making me work and without pay! Can you believe it? I could practically hear Lucas whining about child labour laws.  _

_ I’m sending a box of sweets from the café. I’m sorry I couldn’t get you anything else.  _

_ -Mark _

_ P.S. It’s bloody hard to attach something to the leg of an owl...and how do they even know where to go? _

  
  


_ Wotcher, Robin! _

_ Thanks for the gift, mate! I reckon it will come in handy for some pranks. My brother said we should find a way to slip the leaves into the food of the Slimy Slytherins. I guess our next big mission is to find the kitchens. I’ve heard some Hufflepuffs talk about it. I’ll ask around when we come back.  _

_ I’m sending you some mittens! I knitted them myself so if you don’t like them, I’ll cry. _

_ Merry Christmas! _

_ Love,  _

_ Evelyn _

  
  


_ Dear, Robin _

_ Thank you so much for the gift. I can’t believe I didn’t see you take them, since we were together and all. I hope you don’t mind that I shared them with my sister. She said that whilst you might not have good taste in friends you certainly do with sweets.  _

_ The bad taste in friends is in reference to Lucas, not Mark or Evelyn, just in case that wasn’t clear. I hope you’re enjoying the holidays. It’s been rather dreadful here. Mother and Father insisted on throwing a ball. We were forced to spend time with the Malfoys and Parkinsons of all people. Even Clover can’t really stand them but she had her friend over, the Greengrass girl.  _

_ I wish I could invite you all over as well.  _

_ I’m sending you a Charms book that I found in my parents’ library. They won’t miss it and you will surely enjoy it.  _

_ Kind regards,  _

_ Trisha _

His friends’ letters had managed to fill his silent house with some metaphorical noise. He had written back to all of them to thank them for the gifts. Mark had taken to writing to him on a nearly daily basis, complaining about rude customers and sharing funny anecdotes about the happenings at the café. Robin had been afraid that his father would mind the constant usage of his owl but then again, he was more and more absent so it was highly probable that he didn’t even notice. 

He also tried to spend more time with his mum. He couldn’t help but feel that she was feeling left out and forgotten by his father and he felt as if it was his job to change that. She seemed happy every time Robin offered to watch something on the telly with her. Every so often, he’d catch his mum looking at him with a far-away look in her eyes and to be quite honest, it unsettled him. He couldn’t help but wonder what she was day-dreaming about but whenever he’d ask all she’d say was: “Nothing to worry about, Luv. Just caught in a daydream.” 

His mum had often commented on how they had the same grey eyes but he wasn’t so sure anymore. Her eyes seemed to have dulled over the few months he had been away. They always had a faraway look that she blamed on harmless daydreams. Robin worried. 

His father, true to his word, took him back to the Hogwarts Express once the winter break was over. The man was gone as soon as Robin had stepped into the train but this time, he didn’t mind. He felt excited to see his friends again. 

“Sallow!” A warm weight collided against his back. “Nice to see you again!” Robin whirled around with a huge grin to look at Lucas. 

“It’s great to see you too, mate!” 

Both boys carried on until they found an empty carriage and settled down there as they traded stories of their break. 

“My father sent me a book about the Sacred 28 and their traditions. Mum sent him back a howler cursing him out for trying to fill my heart with poison or something like that. She’s bloody fearless that woman.” 

“My parents spent most of the holidays fighting as well. I think it’s the most my father’s spoken, being an Unspeakable and all.” 

A knock against the door interrupted them. Mark entered the carriage with a bright grin and Robin could feel an even brighter grin grow on his own face. Not that he’d ever say it out loud but he had missed Mark’s smiles. He was almost positive that they carried some magic of their own, as they seemed to light up the room whenever they occurred. 

“How’s our favourite little waiter?”

Mark stuck his tongue out at Lucas as he plopped down next to Robin. “That depends, how’s our favourite little pure-blood?”

“Tosser!”

“Mark’s only asking, mate. After all, your father’s clearly wanting you to get more accustomed with the pure-blood traditions.”

Mark grinned, turning to look at Robin. “Say, Robin, I remember Trisha telling us how pure-bloods still had arranged marriages.”

“You’re quite right. Maybe Thorfinn Rowle is planning to have our dear Lucas marry the one and only Clover Selwyn.”

Lucas' face turned scarlet. “As if I’d ever marry Clover Selwyn! I’d rather marry Merlin’s dirtiest trousers!”

“Cheers.” All three boys whirled around to look at the source of the new voice, finding themselves staring at Trisha, who seemed to be severely unimpressed with them. Evelyn stood behind her, clearly holding back her laughter. 

“Sorry, Trisha.” Mark was the first one to mumble his apology, nudging Robin.

“Yeah, sorry Trish, we didn’t mean any harm.” Lucas stayed silent until Robin aimed a swift kick at his shin.

“Ow! Bloody hell… Sorry, Trisha…” 

She nodded at all three of them, sitting down next to Mark. “That’s alright, boys. Next time I’ll hex you though.” 

Evelyn sat down next to Lucas, throwing a friendly punch at his shoulder. “You three sure know how to make complete arses out of yourselves!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!


	5. Mistrials

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hello, lads.” Two sets of voices spoke at the same time. They all startled, turning to find themselves face to face with the Weasley twins.
> 
> “Say, George, is it me or am I looking at first-years in Hogsmeade?”
> 
> “No, Fred. It’s not you, I’m afraid we are looking at first-years.” 
> 
> “Now I wonder, how did they get here.” 
> 
> “Oh alright! We found a secret passage. We’ll show it to you if you keep your mouths shut.” Lucas spoke up before any of them could. As if disapproving of his tone, Trisha elbowed Lucas in the stomach. 
> 
> Fred loomed down on Lucas. “We know all about the secret passage in the cellar of Honeydukes.” The young Ravenclaw had the decency to look somewhat ashamed over his previous attitude. 

Coming back had seemed like fun at first. Evelyn’s birthday fell at the end of January and they had all spent it in the Hufflepuff’s common room. Robin had loved it there. It was so warm and cosy. They seemed to have more beanbags than chairs and a fire that was always lit. The house was also very united and nearly all of the Hufflepuffs had gathered to help celebrate. Some of them had even brought food from the kitchens, although they refused to say how they got it. 

Evelyn’s brother, Michael, had even joined them. Robin found himself admiring him once more. He had the same dimples as Evelyn and the same chin but personality-wise they were opposites. Whereas Everlyn was loud and outgoing, Michael was quiet and reserved. The second-year Gryffindor exuded an air of confidence that Robin couldn’t help but to feel drawn to. 

Michael was already thirteen and to Robin, that meant that the other boy was a proper teenager. Michael was grown, he was more mature and, therefore, cooler. He wanted to be friends with him. He wanted to get to know him and be acknowledged by him. He wasn’t able to get too close to him, unfortunately. 

If Michael wasn’t with Evelyn, he was with the other second years. Robin felt too intimidated to hang out with them by himself and he didn’t want to leave his friends behind, especially not Evelyn since it was her birthday after all. So he stayed with his friends, playing Exploding Snap and improvising races with the multiple chocolate frogs that could be found throughout the common room. 

They had stayed past midnight. The three Ravenclaws managed to make it back to their own common room unscathed thanks to a kind Head Boy who offered to escort them and find some sort of excuse if they were caught. 

All three of them found themselves to feel rather relaxed at Hogwarts but Robin soon came to find out that the professors seemed determined to not make it so. The pressure for their end of year exams had started, despite them still being months away. 

Flitwick kept dropping small hints that he expected his house to come out on top as a whole. He had them revise all 12 spells for each class. Robin felt the most adequate in this class. He had managed to come out on top once more, mastering all 12 of those. 

Mark came as a close second. He had been struggling with the Knockback Jinx the most until Theodore Nott had shoved passed him in the hallway with a rather rude comment towards the young muggle-born. Mark had whirled around furious and managed to perform the spell on the first try. He had never struggled with it afterwards. 

McGonagall was also unrelenting, repeating how everyone should have mastered the Match to Needle, the Switching spell, and the Flintifors spell and should start practising the Mice to Snuff Boxes and the Avifors spell if they hoped to pass their exams.

Lucas had tried to help them as much as possible. He had already mastered most if not all of the spells for Transfiguration but his constant reminder that what they needed to excel were viciousness and concentration was not truly helping Robin and Mark. Robin’s snuff box still had a tail and whiskers no matter how much he concentrated and Mark’s cups did not turn into birds, they just sprouted wings. 

Potions was perhaps the hardest class. Mark still managed to keep them afloat, but Snape had seemed more tense than usual and as a result, he hounded the students, yelling and handing out detentions more often than usual. A rumour had spread that the potions professor had gone as far as to threaten to poison Neville Longbottom’s frog to test the first-year’s Antidote to Common Poisons potions. Trisha had stopped trying to sneak her cat into classes after that. 

Even Quirrell had finally picked up the pace with his class. They had finally started practising the nine spells that the professor had seemed content with merely glossing over before the break and had started learning how to cure werewolf and vampire bites. Quirrell had almost seemed more stressed after the break. His cheeks were hollowed out and his stutter was even more evident. Although the professor’s previously long fuse had seemed to be cut short, he was stricter and harsher with the students and even more so with Robin. He couldn’t help but feel that his D.A.D.A. professor had neither forgiven nor forgotten the whole parchment incident. 

Herbology, Astronomy, History, and Flying were the classes where Robin felt he could relax the most. Professor Sprout did not pressure them over the oncoming exams and her class felt like a reprieve from the stress the other professors were generating. Astronomy had always been rather simple since he needed to rely on his observational skills the most, compared to transfiguring a cup into a bird or dodging Snape’s pseudo-assassination attempts or Quirrell’s vile looks, observing and jotting down planets was easy enough. 

History remained one of his favourite subjects thanks to Lucas’s undying passion to teach it and thanks to Evelyn, he had become rather good at flying. He didn’t think he’d come out on top of the class but at least he wouldn’t fail it. 

Robin was pretty sure that he had high chances to pass all of his exams although he couldn’t help but feel slightly overwhelmed by everything. Even Lucas had seemed to shed his easy-going nature and had spent more time than ever revising for his classes. The bright side was that his and Clover’s constant attacks on another had ceased.

Lucas's animosity towards the Slytherins hadn’t stopped altogether. The young Ravenclaw had taken to loudly complaining about how his ‘enemies’ were leading in house points. Lucas did nothing to rectify that, though. He still tried to fight Snape at every turn, causing them such a loss of house points that Flitwick had written to his mum. That didn’t seem to stop Lucas as his mum had written to him with a note of congratulations. It seemed like the hatred for Snape ran in the family. 

The rest of their classmates had taken to giving Lucas nasty glares when he passed by and due to their close friendship, Mark and Robin were also included in those looks. Luckily, the upper years didn’t seem to care too much over the house points. They were too preoccupied with their own exams to bother. 

Lucas’s birthday happened on a Saturday. The only reason as to why that matter is that it coincided with the upper years’ trip to Hogsmeade. This meant that their plan to sneak into town to celebrate Lucas had just become easier. They met up with the girls after breakfast and rushed to the third floor. They dodged Peeves on their way up, pulling Evelyn away before she could taunt the poltergeist, and got to the statue. 

Robin performed his spell, bowing like a butler as he gestured for Lucas to pass. They raced throughout the tunnel, Evelyn and Lucas easily taking the lead. In the end, Lucas won, although Robin was fairly sure that it was because Evelyn had let him win.

They climbed into the cellar and peeked through the door to see if they could make it through. Mark and Trisha ended up levitating some sweets off the shelves to distract the owners so that they could sneak out without being caught. They had nearly made it out of the shop when Robin felt a pair of eyes on him. He turned to see the Weasley twins watching them. One of them, George perhaps, winked at them whilst the other waved them away. 

They ran towards The Three Broomsticks, stopping before they entered. Evelyn turned to stare at them. “Now what? How do we buy drinks?”

Trisha dragged them all away from the door. “We’ll get caught if we go in.”

“Hello, lads.” Two sets of voices spoke at the same time. They all startled, turning to find themselves face to face with the Weasley twins.

“Say, George, is it me or am I looking at first-years in Hogsmeade?”

“No, Fred. It’s not you, I’m afraid we are looking at first-years.” 

“Now I wonder, how did they get here.” 

“Oh alright! We found a secret passage. We’ll show it to you if you keep your mouths shut.” Lucas spoke up before any of them could. As if disapproving of his tone, Trisha elbowed Lucas in the stomach. 

Fred loomed down on Lucas. “We know all about the secret passage in the cellar of Honeydukes.” The young Ravenclaw had the decency to look somewhat ashamed over his previous attitude. 

“Don’t worry,” George butted in. “We won’t tell on you. Us mischief-makers have to stick together.” 

Trisha took that as an opportunity. “Why don’t we drink to it, then? It’s Lucas’s birthday and we were hoping to celebrate. If I give you the money would you buy us some butterbeer? You’d be included in the drink order, of course.”

Fred and George turned to look at each other, then shrugged, then turned back to them. “Sure.” They spoke at the same time. Trisha beamed and pulled out some galleons, handing them over. The twins made good on their deal, coming back with enough drinks for all. The now large group found themselves celebrating Lucas behind the building of The Three Broomsticks, listening avidly to all the pranks the twins had committed. 

They managed to sneak back through the cellar thanks to the distractions the twins caused. Mark and Evelyn had bought another butterbeer for the way, having fallen in love with the taste. Trisha pretended to steal Evelyn’s drinks and the two of them had rushed off ahead in the tunnel, their shrieks of laughter echoing through the walls.

Mark had sipped at his drink with a smile, raising a challenging eyebrow when Lucas had walked over to him as if to take it as well. Needless to say, the raven-haired boy had not risen up to the challenge. Robin hadn’t even bothered. Mark had such a pleased smile on his face that he couldn’t even dream of making it disappear. Instead, he gave the birthday boy a piggy-back ride the rest of the way.

The exams came faster than Robin had anticipated. The months had seemed to fly by in between studying with Mark, looking for more passages with Trisha and Lucas, and attending extra flying practices with Evelyn. Robin didn’t know how the end of May was nearing already. 

Their Transfigurations exam came first. Mark had been the most anxious over it, as he had struggled the most out of the three. The morning of the exam he had nearly bitten the prefect’s head off when he was told that his books were occupying too much space at the dining table. Then he had smacked Lucas over the head with a stack of parchment when the poor boy had dared say how Transfiguration was rather easy. 

Even Robin hadn’t been spared. Mark had aimed a knockback jinx at him when Robin had tried to pull him away from the library. He sorely missed the days when Mark couldn’t get that spell to work. By the time they had to go to their exams, everyone, including Lucas and Robin, had created a wide berth around Mark. 

They were presented with the task of transforming a mouse into a snuff box, along with writing an essay on the principles of Transfigurations and the spells they had learned this year. Robin had managed to transform his mouse into a snuff box, that, luckily, did not have a tail or whiskers. Mark himself managed to perfectly transfigure his mouse and McGonagall even gave him one of her rare ‘I’m proud of you’ smiles. 

Naturally, Lucas had come out on top of their class. His snuff box looked priceless and, somehow, he had even managed to have a small carving of the Ravenclaw logo at the top of the box. McGonagall had awarded him with 50 house points for that. Padma Patil and Lisa Turpin seemed ready to forgive him after that. 

Lucas and Robin exited the classroom after the exam and were soon joined by a rather happy-looking Mark. “Alright there, mates? Ready for our Charms exam after lunch?” The young Ravenclaw didn’t bother to wait for an answer, linking arms with Lisa and heading off to the Great Hall. 

Lucas and Robin exchanged confused looks. “Is that the same bloke who nearly hexed our bollocks off this morning?” Robin shrugged at Lucas with an amused look.

“At any rate, I prefer an overly happy Mark than an angry one.” Robin linked arms with Lucas in a mock-imitation of Mark and Lisa and headed off after the two Ravenclaws with Lucas laughing alongside him.

Their Charms exam went by much smoother. They were also required to write an essay afterwards. Flitwick asked them to exit the classroom so they could all go in one by one and make a pineapple tap-dance across his desk. 

Lucas was one of the first to go and if his manic grin was anything to go by, he had aced the test. Their numbers dwindled. Michael Corner and Anthony Goldstein had come out of the classroom looking rather frustrated. Hermione Granger had come out with a big grin and whispered to Robin as she passed, “Let’s see if you can keep up.” He had stuck out his tongue in response. 

A loud crashing could be heard a few minutes after Neville had gone into the classroom. The poor boy had exited and Flitwick had taken a bit longer to call the next student in. Finally, it was Robin’s turn and, to no one’s surprise, his pineapple had flawlessly tap-danced across the desk at the first try. Flitwick seemed overjoyed.

Both him and Lucas waited for Mark to exit his exam and though neither of them would admit it, they had let out twin sighs of relief when their friend exited with a happy smile. That night, Mark helped them with Potions by having them repeat the steps to every single potion they had learned until all three of them collapsed in their beds. 

Mark’s harsh tactics had proven effective as they managed to brew a perfect Forgetfulness Potion in their exam, despite Snape breathing down their necks, something that Lucas was not willing to ignore. 

“Do you mind, professor? I can’t concentrate when you keep staring at me like that.” He had gotten detention until the end of the term. Evelyn had praised him at the end of their exam whilst Trisha had scolded him. Mark had compared them to the devil and angel at Lucas’s shoulder and Robin had to trail behind in order to cover his laughter. He didn’t want the girls’ attention to turn to him.

They had their Astronomy exam at midnight and all three boys felt fairly if not overly confident in their abilities to chart the planets and their corresponding moons. They ran back to their dorms with a happy spring in their steps. Their hardest exams were done and over with. 

Professor Quirrell had them write an essay on the creatures they had covered in class and how to best defend oneself against them. All three of them had excelled in their essays, not that it was exceptionally hard thanks to the many posters of information plastered across the classroom. Robin couldn’t understand why Quirrell hadn’t bothered to take them down. Padma, Draco, Pansy, and Terry had been looking towards them for the answer.

Professor Sprout had them write an essay on how to take care of the plants they had covered in class. This exam was also rather easy. Trisha and Evelyn shared a love for plants and Robin had heard them discussing them enough to know how to properly take care of them by heart.

Professor Hooch just had them fly around the Quidditch pitch and run the drills they had practised throughout the year. Robin managed to do them all without any major hiccups. Evelyn had looked rather proud of herself when she did and he supposed that was fair. She had practised with him a lot more than Hooch, that was for sure. 

Their History exam was perhaps the easiest. They had to answer questions about the wizards who had invented Self-Stirring Cauldrons and why their invention had been revolutionary for the wizarding world. Lucas had covered the topic with them as well and Mark had joined him in that particular tutoring session to add-on with his knowledge on potions. As a result, Robin, and most of the class for that matter, knew the answer down to the last detail. 

Mark’s birthday came around at the end of the exams. Lucas and Robin had snuck off a day earlier and ‘bought’ two school bags worth of candy from the cellar of Honeydukes. On Mark’s birthday, they made the whole of Ravenclaw’s table sing him happy birthday, much to Mark’s ever-growing embarrassment, and had escorted him everywhere. For lunch, Trisha and Evelyn invited them back to the Hufflepuff’s common room, where they had prepared an absolute feast with the help of the upper-year students. 

A table had been transfigured at the centre of the room and it was filled to the brim with Mark’s favourite foods, including a case of butterbeer. Robin watched as Mark’s brightest grin yet took over his face. He felt his stomach do a nervous flip and chalked it off to feeling happy over Mark’s clear joy. 

It wasn’t until the night that Lucas and Robin upended their bags on an unsuspecting Mark. The poor brunet boy had already laid down for bed when he found himself caught in a rain of candy. He didn’t seem to mind though, immediately pouncing on a sugar quill. 

They all gathered on Mark’s bed, eating as much candy as they could before they started feeling sick. Before he knew it, Robin had collapsed against Mark’s pillow, his eyes closing. The other two boys joined him soon enough. Robin could feel Lucas next to him, pulling the covers out from under them and over to cover them all. 

Mark glanced up sleepily. “I bloody knew it. You do tuck us in.”

Lucas reached over and shoved Mark’s head back down against his pillow. “You’re lucky it’s still your birthday, mate.” Robin fell asleep before he could hear Mark’s retort. 

Somehow, the exams had not been the craziest part of the year. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley had ended up in the infirmary. The former was in there for over a week whilst the latter was there for three days. Once the youngest Weasley had been released, everyone found out about what happened. Quirrell had snuck into the forbidden corridor and attempted to steal what Dumbledore was guarding which turned out to be the Philosopher’s Stone.

Harry, along with Ron and Hermione, had managed to thwart the DADA professor’s plan. Professor Quirrell was never seen again and the rumours seemed to go from stating that he had been sent to Azkaban to some saying he had died in the dungeons. It was hard to believe that the nervous and meek man had turned out to be a dark wizard who, according to other rumours, wanted to resuscitate He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. 

“You threw a parchment at the back of his head! No wonder he looked as if he was about to kill you!” Mark had exclaimed when they found out. “He probably did want to kill you!” Robin didn’t want to think about it. He had tried asking Hermione for more details but the young Gryffindor had managed to avoid answering at every turn. 

Soon enough, the news about Quirrell’s nefarious intentions died down. The exam results had taken over the buzz at the school. Robin felt rather pleased with his results. He had managed to pass everything with good marks and even excellent ones in History, not surprising; Charms, not surprising; and D.A.D.A., very surprising. Lucas, Mark, Evelyn, and Trisha had also gotten high marks, with Lucas coming out on top in Transfigurations, Mark in Potions, Evelyn in Flying, and Trisha in Astronomy. 

“Can’t believe we’re done! Summer break starts tomorrow…” Lucas said one afternoon. They had all gathered outside by the Black Lake to enjoy the warm weather, something they had started doing as soon as they were all done with their exams. Mark and Robin had huddled closer and were levitating rocks over to the lake. Evelyn was braiding Trisha’s hair, leaning against the tree they had sat under for shade. Meanwhile, Lucas had settled in between the two pairs and had opted to be sad over their oncoming departure. 

Robin had turned around to look at his friend, letting the stone he had been levitating drop before reaching the lake. “Cheer up, mate. I’m sure we can visit each other during the summer.” 

“D’you reckon your parents would let you? My mum would be all for it!” Lucas seemed to slowly perk up over the idea. “You lot have to come over to my place. My mum’s not strict at all.” 

Mark snorted, turning to face the rest of the group. “We know, mate. She congratulated you on your detentions. Can’t be too strict if she does that.”

Trisha let out a sad sigh. She let herself fall backwards into Evelyn’s chest. “I don’t think I’d be able too. My parents are taking us to the south of France. It’s a family tradition...plus, they don’t like your mum, Lucas. I don’t think they’ll be too keen on me going over.” 

“Bugger, I hate pure-bloods. What about you lot, Mark and Evelyn? Would you two be able to come over for a week or so?”

Evelyn shook her head no. “Sorry to disappoint but you’re a bloke. My mum wouldn’t like it one bit. Especially since I’d be the only girl there.” Lucas threw himself down at the ground rather dramatically at her words. 

“What if your brother came as well? I wouldn’t mind.”

“No luck. My dad’s taking him to Ireland this summer.” 

“Why Ireland?”

“I dunno. I wasn’t interested so I didn’t ask.”

Lucas gave her a mock frown and turned to Mark, batting his eyelashes. “Maaark… would your granddad let you spend time with Robin and me?” 

“I don’t know. Usually, my granddad doesn’t let me hang out with madmen.” Lucas threw two fingers up in the air in Mark’s direction. Mark laughed and carried on, unaffected. “But I reckon he’d make an exception for you.” 

Lucas sat up again. “Brilliant! We can come to pick you up so that your granddad can stay with the café. Robin, we can come to get you too if your father’s too busy to get you.”

Robin nodded, going back to levitating a rock. “I’ll let you know, although I do think he’ll be busy.” 

They had stayed outside as late as possible. Trisha and Evelyn had started decorating each other with flowers and that had, soon enough, started into a small grass-fight. Robin, Lucas, and Mark had egged them on until they were dragged into the fight as well. 

It was only the chill of the sunset and Professor Sprout urging them inside. They rushed in for their final supper at Hogwarts. The Great Hall was buzzing with conversations, from students talking about their summer plans to guessing who had won the House Cup. Lucas, Mark, and Robin settled in their usual spot at the table, along with the other first-years.

“Can’t believe the Slimy Slytherins are going to win the House Cup.” Grumbled Lucas to no one in particular.

Lisa Turpin shot him an incredulous look and Terry spoke up with a frown. “We could’ve won if you hadn’t cost us so many House Points you know?” 

Lucas frowned right back. “I wasn’t asking for your opinion, Boot.”

“Can’t handle the fact that it’s your fault? You were the one that decided to act like a tosser all year!” Lucas’s face seemed to grow red over Terry’s words. Mark and Robin exchanged a look before Mark spoke up, loud enough to draw the attention to him. 

“Say, Robin, what does the winning House get exactly?”

“Nothing really,” Robin shrugged as he tapped his fingers against the table. “It’s mostly for show, and bragging purposes.” 

Mark raised an eyebrow in false interest. “So one could say that winning is rather pointless and unimportant overall?”

Robin stroked his chin. “I think one could very well say that, Mark.” Terry was the one turning slightly red now. Lisa sneered at them and tugged at Terry’s sleeve. They both slid further down the table. 

Lucas turned to look at them with a small smile. “Thanks. I was about to lose it.”

Robin patted him on the back. “No worries. Nothing you wouldn’t have done for us.” Lucas’s reply was cut short by Dumbledore. The Headmaster started by announcing that Slytherin had won the House Cup. The victory was short-lived, however. The Slytherin table hadn’t even begun to quiet down when Dumbledore interrupted, awarding some last-minute house points to Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and Neville Longbottom. 

Harry Potter had received sixty points for rescuing the stone. Ron and Hermione each received fifty points for helping him and Neville Longbottom received ten points for standing up to his friends. Robin watched in disbelief as the green banners that were hung around the Great Hall changed, rather cruelly, into a Gryffindor red. 

“This is unfair!” Robin turned to look at Lucas, who looked rather angry. “He shouldn’t be able to do that last minute! Slytherin had won!”

He could feel his eyebrows raise at Lucas’s words. “I’m sorry, are you saying you want the Slimy Slytherin to win?” 

“No, but fair’s fair. They had won, and now they’re losing because Longbottom stood up to his friends? I stand up to you every day and I don’t get any house points for that!” Robin had to admit that Lucas had somewhat of a point. 

“They didn’t just win because of that,” Mark interrupted. “They also won thanks to Harry, Hermione, and Ron’s bravery when it came to stopping Quirrell.” 

“That didn’t just happen though. Why not award the house points as soon as Potter woke up? I hate Slytherins but even I can tell that this is cruel.” Lucas made another great point. Robin glanced over at the Slytherin table. All the students seemed torn between looking at their Headmaster in disbelief and looking crestfallen at the new banners. 

Dumbledore had finished speaking. The Gryffindors were still cheering, pouring salt over the wounds that the Slytherins were now sporting.  _ Dumbledore could’ve handled that better,  _ he thought as he saw Draco, Pansy, and Clover looking dejected at the food that had just appeared.  _ He is everyone’s Headmaster, after all.  _ He didn’t dwell on it much longer. Lucas had started piling his plate with food and Robin had to rush and stop him.

The train ride back felt rather short. It seemed like none of them were ready to say goodbye. Trisha had hugged everyone to death before having to rush off and meet her sister. Even Evelyn had hugged them tightly, promising to write to all of them during the summer. 

Lucas had given them a one-armed hug, promising to write with a proper invitation to his place. Robin had watched as he ran towards his mum, tackling her in a warm hug. “He’s proper mental…” Mark had whispered beside him. 

Both boys had exited the barrier. Edwin was waiting there and had hugged Mark tightly before turning to greet Robin with kind eyes. His mum had arrived shortly after and, after exchanging a few pleasantries with Mr Thompson, had led Robin back to her car. 

She turned the radio on once she started driving. Robin found himself listening to her familiar humming as she took him back home. He’d missed her. Christmas had felt odd and forced but now it seemed like whatever dark cloud that had been hanging over his mum was gone. 

It wasn’t until after dinner that Robin remembered to ask her about Lucas’s invitation. “Mum, my friend Lucas invited me over to his place for a week. His mum can even come to get me if my father can’t take me.” 

His mother had stilled before turning around. An unfamiliar and furious look had taken over her face. “Absolutely not! You just got back here! You’re in that school with them for months. You’re only here for three months. Do you hate me...the house so much that you’re already eager to leave again?” 

Robin stared at her, processing what he had just heard. “What? Mum, I don’t hate you! If you don’t want me to go, I won’t…” His mum’s eyes turned glassy with tears. Robin started towards her but she stopped him before he could hug her. 

“Well, I don’t want you to go!” Robin had a feeling at the back of his mind that she wasn’t just talking about the summer holidays.

“Mum, I’m not going anywhere.” 

She shook her head with a sad look. She took a deep sigh before speaking again. “I’m sorry, it’s silly of me. I’ve just missed you.” 

“I’ve missed you too, mum.” She gave him a watery smile and pulled him into a tight hug only to release him a few seconds after. 

“I’m sorry. I’m not feeling well.” She rushed off to her room, closing it with the lock. Robin stood in the kitchen, not knowing what to do. He didn’t bring up Lucas’s invitation again. 

_ Dear Sallow,  _

_ It’s June 25th, you know what that means.  _

_ HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MATE! _

_ You’re finally 12, you tosser. I bought you some books on dark creatures and how to deal with them from Tomes and Scrolls! Hope you like them! _

_ I wish we could’ve hung out this summer but I understand. My mum says that your mum probably missed you a lot and that’s why she cried. You’re still invited anytime though. Never worry about that.  _

_ Mark came over for a week but he spent more time talking with my mum than me. What a wanker right? _

_ Can’t wait to see you! _

_ Yours,  _

_ Lucas _

  
  


_ Robin,  _

_ Happy birthday, mate! _

_ I hope you’re having a good day and everyone’s spoiling you. My granddad and I baked you a cake. It’s a lavender flavoured. I dunno why... I thought you might like it and I hope you do.  _

_ I spent a week over at Lucas’s house. It was fun but we both missed you. His mum is insanely cool though. I don’t know how her son is such a dork (don’t tell him I said that, he’ll punch me.) She’s truly amazing. She let me have a sip of her wine and she’s so kind. That’s where Lucas gets it from. She reminded me of my mum and she certainly treated me like a son.  _

_ It was nice! Next time you have to come! _

_ -Mark  _

  
  


_ Wotcher, Robin _

_ How’s the birthday going?  _

_ I ended up going to Ireland with my father and my brother. They wanted to look at castle ruins, of all things!! I can’t believe I got dragged into this. This is what happens when your dad’s in the military and your brother’s determined to walk in his footsteps. You’re forced to look at battle ruins over the summer.  _

_ Still, I was able to find this four-leaf clover at a shop near some of the ruins. It’s preserved with a charm, supposedly. It’s a muggle shop so who knows. It’s also supposed to bring you good luck. Take it as your birthday present. Maybe it’ll give you some luck and you’ll have fewer detentions next year. One can dream, huh?  _

_ Love,  _

_ Evelyn _

  
  


_ Dear, Robin,  _

_ Happy birthday! I hope you’re having an amazing day. Clover says happy birthday too.  _

_ I’ve included some Stink Pellets with the owl. They’re your birthday present, just please don’t use them against me or near me. I’ll be forced to hex you if you do. I heard from some upper years that they’re good for distracting prefects and even Mrs Norris. I’m sure you’ll love that.  _

_ The south of France is as bleak as always. Mother and Father have taken to speaking ill of my house. They’re not exactly happy with my placement. They’d much prefer Ravenclaw, but I know they wouldn’t be happy either if I were in your house. For them, it’s either Slytherin or you’re a disgrace.  _

_ Clover stood up for me though. She told them that they were making me feel bad for no reason and that our houses did not speak for us. She said that I was a very talented witch and that they should be able to see that… I so wish you and her could become friends. _

_ I told her about Evelyn and whilst at first, she seemed to be very confused she came around! She didn’t tell Mother and Father and she said that if they ever found out, she’d stand by my side.  _

_ Anyways, I’m rambling. I do hope you’re having a wonderful day. You deserve nothing less.  _

_ Yours,  _

_ Trisha _

His birthday had started off as a quiet affair. His father was off at work, something that his mum had nearly cussed over. Robin had never heard her cuss before. She had quickly apologised and set herself to baking him a cake. 

His mum’s mood had soured once more when his friend's owls started arriving. Robin hastily took his letters and presents up to his room, leaving them for later. He spent the rest of the day eating cake with his mum and watching old movies on the telly with her. She had sat down next to him and hugged him all afternoon. Robin couldn’t find it within himself to mind. He simply held her back tighter. 

It wasn’t until the night that he finally read all his letters. A warm feeling took over him as he read his friends' anecdotes. He snuck back downstairs to grab his father’s owl and got to the task of writing them back. If his mum’s mood was anything to go by, he was in for a long summer. At least he had his friends he could rely on. 

That night he dreamed of the tunnel that led to Honeydukes’s cellar. His friends were there, dancing with one another. His mum was also there with him, holding him tight, tight, tighter until he couldn’t breathe. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!


	6. September 1992

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You kidnapped a Cornish Pixie?” Robin stared in disbelief as the small creature snarled against the bars of the cage. Mark was staring wide-eyed, clutching his wand. 
> 
> “That I did! Guess when I’m setting it off.” Lucas had that wild glint in his eyes that Robin knew meant serious trouble. 
> 
> Mark gasped. “Don’t say Potions.” He heard the brunet say besides him. 
> 
> “Potions!” Lucas said, his grin even wider. Mark and Robin shared a look and quietly went back to their own beds. A year’s worth of detention was awaiting them it seemed.

Robin’s nerves were fried. His father had postponed their trip to Diagon Alley until literally the last day. To make matters worse, his mum feigned ill once more when it was time to get to the train station. His father grew furious. Apparently, he had an important meeting and did not have time to drop off his son. 

“I don’t know what to tell you, Albert. I can’t drive in these conditions,” his mum spoke through the door. She had locked herself in the bathroom. 

“Then maybe you’d like to explain to my boss why I’m late, Susan!” his father had yelled to the door. Robin stood awkwardly by the door, carrying his trunk. 

“Ha! I thought I wasn’t allowed to mingle with the people of your world!” His father grimaced at the door before turning around and stomping his way over to Robin. In the blink of an eye, he had grabbed his son by the arm and apparated them to the train station, past the barrier. 

Robin felt his stomach lurch. He fought off a wave of nausea at the sudden and frankly unexpected apparition. Once it had passed, he turned to say goodbye to his father. The man had already left. Resisting the urge to cuss, Robin lugged his trunk onto the train. 

He walked around for a bit until he finally found the carriage that his friends had picked. “Hullo, mates!” Trisha, Lucas, and Mark looked up from their game of Exploding Snap with matching grins. Evelyn set down her book and walked over to hug him hello. 

“Robin! We were wondering where you were!” Evelyn said, still hugging him tightly. He returned the embrace, feeling his cheeks heat up slightly. He quickly put his trunk up and sat down. Lucas had grown over the summer. Robin was glad to note that they were still about the same height. Mark had been the one to truly shoot up. He had at least two centimetres over the other boys. Trisha somehow looked more mature and more sure of herself. Evelyn also looked slightly taller. 

“Oh, bollocks!” Mark’s cards had just exploded in his hands. Lucas started laughing uncontrollably and the brunet lunged at him in retaliation.

“Oh honestly, boys!” Trisha scolded as she was forced to pull her feet up on the seat to avoid getting tangled in their fight. 

Evelyn was crouching on the seats, though rather than annoyed she looked ecstatic. “Ten knuts on Mark winning the fight.”

Robin hopped up on the seat across her and stretched out his hand to shake hers. “Deal!” 

Mark and Lucas’s struggle was cut short when Hermione Granger opened the door to their carriage. Neville Longbottom stood nervously behind her.

“Wotcher, Granger,” Lucas said from the floor. 

She seemed to process the sight of them before speaking. “I don’t assume any of you have seen Harry or Ron?” 

“No, sorry. You’re welcome to sit with us though. You too, Neville,” Robin answered, aiming a small smile at Neville, who seemed to be surprised at being included. 

“No, thank you. We best keep looking for them. Come on, Neville.” She smiled at them and left in a hurry, tugging Longbottom along. 

“Cheers!” said Mark as he stood up from the floor. 

“I wonder what Potter is getting up to now,” Trisha muttered, setting her feet back down against the floor.

“Oh, bugger, who won? Lucas, I bet ten knuts on you. Please say you won.” Robin looked at Lucas pleadingly. Mark snorted. Evelyn won ten knuts. 

The rest of the ride was uneventful. Robin was relieved to see that they didn’t have to go across the lake this time. Instead, they rode on carriages that were pulled by an invisible force. It was much cosier, that was for sure. 

They never figured out if Hermione and Neville found the two Gryffindors. Considering they never came back to their carriage, Robin assumed they did. The welcome back feast proved him different. He couldn’t spot either Potter or the youngest Weasley. He only saw a dejected Hermione sitting next to Neville. He didn’t think too much of it, distracted by the entrance of the new first-years.

The hat sang another song. Robin decided that the welcoming feast was immensely more boring when you weren’t waiting to be sorted. The first-years kept coming up to the stool and running to their tables. He just wanted to eat. 

He cheered along with his table whenever they got new Ravenclaw students. Five girls and four guys had joined their house this year. One of the girls had stood out the most, considering how she had skipped to their table, seemingly lost in her own head. Lucas and Robin gave her an odd look as she sat down next to them. 

“Hullo,” Mark said, turning to greet the new girl. “Welcome to Ravenclaw.”

“Hello… You have a Wrackspurt behind you.” Her voice was airy and rather than looking at Mark she was looking at a spot above and behind him. 

“A what?” Mark turned around, trying to spot what she had. 

“A Wrackspurt. I can hear it buzzing behind you. Don’t worry though; it’s going away.” She patted his hand kindly. Mark seemed to be speechless. Robin didn’t blame him. Throughout the feast, everyone seemed eager to talk to each other. Yet the new girl had pulled out a newspaper and buried her face in it. 

Robin glanced at the front page and frowned. It wasn’t the  _ Daily Prophet _ . It was a newspaper called  _ The Quibbler. _ He had never heard of it before. He nudged Lucas and pointed to the paper with his head, silently asking the pure-blood if he knew about it. Lucas’s eyes widened. 

“ _ The Quibbler _ ? You’re reading  _ The Quibbler _ ?” Lucas exclaimed. 

“Yes. My father writes it.” She didn’t bother to look up as she replied. 

“Your father’s Xenophilius Lovegood?” Now Lucas seemed to be interested, scooting closer to Luna. 

“Yes, I’m his daughter, Luna. Do you read his newspaper?” She had finally looked up. Robin could see the faint signs of a smile on her face. 

“Not me. My mum does. She’s a big fan.” At Lucas’s words, a genuine smile rose on Luna’s face. 

“I’ll tell him to send her a signed copy. Thank you for your kind words, Lucas Damocles Abbott.” She stood up with the rest of the first-years. Robin turned to see that the feast had ended. 

“Cheers—wait! How do you know my full name?” Luna had already walked away. 

The three of them stood up as well, making their way to their common room. As they made their way up, Robin couldn’t help but tease. “Damocles? That’s quite the middle name.” Lucas punched him on his shoulder, hard. 

“Shut up! It’s my paternal grandfather’s name.” Lucas aimed a nasty glare at Mark who had opened his mouth. Mark had enough common sense to stay quiet after that. Lucas changed the subject back to Luna Lovegood. “I can’t believe Lovegood had a daughter. You'd've never guessed from reading his works. He’s always off chasing magical creatures.” 

That piqued Robin’s interest. “Magical creatures? Is the tabloid any good?”

“No, it’s a load of rubbish.” Lucas snorted. “All he does is talk about creatures that don’t exist. He thinks they do though, despite having found no evidence.” 

Mark frowned as they reached the entrance to their common room. “Then why does your mum read it?” 

“She thinks the tabloid is a testament to Lovegood’s creativity. She likes seeing what his mind can come up with.” Lucas knocked the bronze eagle-shaped knocker against the door once they reached it. 

The knocker spoke up. “Welcome back, boys. What am I?” 

Lucas, Mark, and Robin stared at each other. It had become a fun game for them, seeing who could solve the riddles first. Lucas came out the winner this time, yelling at the top of his lungs: “A question!” 

“Well done, lad.” The door opened up, allowing them inside. The prefects were still dishing out instructions to the first-years so the three Ravenclaws hurried upstairs to their dorms. They happily saw that all three of them were still paired together. They waved goodnight to Terry and Michael as the other boys peeked out of their room. 

“Me and Evelyn are trying out for our Quidditch team this year!” Lucas exclaimed as soon as Mark shut the door. “You both have to come and watch us try out.” It wasn’t a question, that much was clear. 

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world, mate.” Robin said. Mark let out a noise of agreement. He was about to put on his pyjamas when he noticed his schedule laying neatly on his bed. Robin quickly grabbed it and walked to Lucas’s bed. He sat down, Mark quickly joining them. 

“Look at that. We have Herbology, Charms, and D.A.D.A. with the Hufflepuffs!” Mark exclaimed, seeming very excited.

“Right but sadly we have Potions and History of Magic with the Slytherins,” Lucas noted. 

“Not to mention Transfiguration and Astronomy with the Gryffindors,” Robin groaned. 

“What’s so bad about that?” Mark asked. 

Lucas turned to look at them both with a smirk. “Sallow is just worried he won’t be able to best his Gryffindor girlfriend.” 

“Tosser! She’s not my girlfriend!” Robin elbowed him in the stomach, returning to his own bed. Robin fell asleep to Lucas still laughing over his joke.

-

Their week started off calmly. Not the same could be said for Ron Weasley who had received a Howler. Apparently, Weasley and Potter’s absences were due to them hijacking a car and flying it to Hogwarts. Robin was still wondering how two twelve-year-olds had managed to pull that off as he headed for his classes. 

They had Herbology first, where they just went over the course material and even got to meet their first plant, the Mandrake. Robin hated them. Despite the gear that Professor Sprout had provided them, he could still hear them plain as day. Their shrieking was loud and shrill. Professor Sprout was trying to yell above the noise, telling them to simply replant them in a pot with fresh dirt. Evelyn was too busy yelling back at hers to listen. Trisha was too busy laughing at Evelyn’s antics to notice that the room was slowly quieting down. It wasn’t until Professor Sprout went to stand in front of them, hand on her hips, that the two Hufflepuffs glanced up and quickly replanted their poor Mandrakes. 

Next, they had History of Magic and Lucas resumed his role as their improvised Professor. This time, all the Ravenclaws joined the group. The Slytherin’s did not. It was all for the better. Pansy Parkinson and Draco Malfoy kept eyeing them funny, especially Mark. They had taken to sizing the young brunet up and down before turning and whispering something to each other in a fit of laughter. If the young Ravenclaw noticed or cared, he didn’t let on but Robin couldn’t help but feel a surge of protective anger over his friend. 

Transfiguration and Astronomy were fun enough. Hermione seemed more than eager to resume their friendly competition. Robin had sat down next to her in both classes. Lucas and Mark’s amused glances and small laughs behind him were hard to ignore. In the end, it was McGonagall who put a stop to it, threatening the other two boys with detentions on their first week back. In Astronomy, Professor Sinestra offered no such help, letting Lucas and Mark tease him all night. 

Potions was, unsurprisingly, unbearable. Snape had quizzed them on their summer reading, taking off House Points if they didn’t answer fast enough or got something wrong. Robin couldn’t help but note that he only took points off for the Ravenclaw students, not the Slytherin students.  _ What a wanker _ , he thought as Snape took ten points off when Lucas took more than a second to answer. His friend’s face had grown red with fury after that. Robin knew that the raven-haired boy was already plotting his revenge. 

D.A.D.A. also proved to be miserable. Professor Lockhart seemed more interested in stroking his own ego than teaching them. Even the room was a testament to that. It was plastered with his own portrait. “This man has no shame…” he whispered to Trisha, who was sitting beside him. She seemed equally horrified as she took in the portraits. 

Despite those two classes, Robin’s first two days of classes had been rather calm. He had even said so to Mark on the morning of their third day. The universe was quick to prove him wrong on that. Everything had been going smoothly until they reached their D.A.D.A. class. Professor Lockhart was happily standing next to a covered cage. 

“Welcome, students! I have a bit of a practical test for you today! My other class had a bit of an issue handling them. I hope you all do much better… Although, of course, not better than me I’m sure.” The man winked at the class as he reached for the cloth that covered the cage. “I’ll be waiting in my study… wouldn’t want you to get nervous if I’m around watching. Now...I must ask you not to scream...it might...provoke them!” He uncovered the cage to reveal blue pixies that were throwing themselves against the bars.

Trisha sat up in her seat. “Are those…?” Lucas finished her thoughts, nearly standing up in the process.

“Cornish Pixies?” 

Lockhart grinned. “Quite. Freshly caught too...let’s see what you make of them!” Before the students could react, the cage was opened and the pixies had rushed towards them. Robin ducked under his desk in a heartbeat, noticing how Lockhart rushed to his study. 

“Is he insane?!” Lucas’s roar of anger could be heard amongst the pixies shrieking laughs. 

Evelyn was busying herself by batting away the pixies that dared come near her with her books. Trisha had huddled under the desk with him, trying to get Lisa to join them. Lisa wasn’t quite lucky though. The pixies had surrounded her and had begun pulling her away by her hair. Justin Finch-Fletchley tried to help her, pointing his wand at the offending pixies only to have another swarm of them steal said wand. 

Hannah Abbott was in tears, trying to find cover as two pixies pelted her with inkwells. Lucas rushed to his cousin's defence only to have his ears brutally yanked in opposite directions. Terry Boot, Ernie Macmillan, and Mandy Brocklehurst were all huddled in the corner of the room as five pixies threatened them with the skull of the dragon that Lockhart usually had hanging above their desks. Anthony Goldstein, Padma Patil, and Susan Bones managed to escape the classroom, slamming the door behind them. 

“Wotcher, Trisha, Robin.” Mark slid smoothly under the desk with them. He seemed relaxed despite the events occurring before them. Robin couldn’t help but note that he also looked unscathed.

“Don’t act so cocky, Thompson,” Trisha snapped as she looked worryingly towards Evelyn who was currently having a tug-of-war with a pixie over her book. 

“Oi, no need to snap at me. I’m not the lunatic that set the pixies free.” Mark dodged a well-aimed book. “Bloody hell, we’re going to get murdered.” 

“Oh...bollocks!” Trisha rushed out from underneath the desk, running towards Evelyn who had lost her battle. Robin hesitated. Mark had picked up the book that had been thrown and was currently engrossed in it. 

“Thompson, do something!” Mark hummed in reply. Robin groaned and rushed after Trisha, batting away at a pixie that was pulling at her blonde locks. The pixie screeched and turned to tug at his hair instead. Robin swore loudly, managing to untangle his locks from the little pest. 

“Immobulus!” The pixies froze following Mark’s shout. The brunet was standing proudly in the middle of the room, his wand arm up in the air, his other hand holding a book against his hip. Robin couldn’t help but stare. Mark looked like those heroes in children’s books and he carried an air of confidence that seemed genuine. 

A loud bang snapped Robin out from his reverie. Lucas had fallen down, seemingly tripping over nothing. The blue-eyed boy quickly stood up with a wide grin, his hands shoved deep in the pockets of his robes. Robin raised an eyebrow at him but Lucas shook his head mouthing ‘later’. 

“Ah! Brilliant! Wonderful! I expect nothing less out of my students.” Lockhart had finally come out from hiding. No one was glad to see him. 

It wasn’t until they were finally settling down for bed that Lucas filled them in. The young boy had been curiously absent the rest of the day, leaving Mark and Robin rather confused and wary. Now he was pulling out a rat cage from underneath his bed. It wasn’t a rat that he was hiding. 

“You kidnapped a Cornish Pixie?” Robin stared in disbelief as the small creature snarled against the bars of the cage. Mark was staring wide-eyed, clutching his wand. 

“That I did! Guess when I’m setting it off.” Lucas had that wild glint in his eyes that Robin knew meant serious trouble. 

Mark gasped. “Don’t say Potions.” He heard the brunet say besides him. 

“Potions!” Lucas said, his grin even wider. Mark and Robin shared a look and quietly went back to their own beds. A year’s worth of detention was awaiting them it seemed. 

The next day, Lucas unleashed the pixie as soon as Snape had turned his back. The furious creature flew up with a loud shriek making their otherwise stoic Professor jump up in shock. Before anyone could react, the creature had swarmed down throwing various ingredients into their cauldrons. Mark, Robin, and Lucas’s shared cauldron melted to the floor. Terry Boot, Mandy Brocklehurst, and Michael Corner’s cauldron started whistling. Anthony Goldstein, Padma Patil, and Lisa Turpin managed to cover their cauldron in time. 

The Slytherins were also attacked. Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Goyle’s cauldron exploded, bathing them in their potion. Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott, and Pansy Parkinson’s cauldron started bubbling ominously. Clover Selwyn managed to reach hers on time, spilling the contents of her cauldron before the pixie could take aim, saving herself and Millicent Bulstrode and Daphne Greengrass from some unknown fate. 

“Immobulus!” Professor Snape sounded furious. The pixie froze mid-throw and an eerie sense of calm took over the dungeon. “Who dared release this pixie in my classroom? I will make sure you’re expelled.” Lucas’s bravado seemed to vanish. 

“With all due respect, Professor, it’s probably a stray from Professor Lockhart’s class.” A smooth and confident voice cut the imposing silence. Robin’s head turned to look at Clover, the owner of the voice. Professor Snape raised an eyebrow, encouraging her to keep explaining.

“He released them in his class yesterday and left, leaving the students to deal with them. Several students fled the classroom. This pixie probably escaped amongst the chaos.” Robin couldn’t believe his ears. Snape could, however.  _ Probably helps that she’s a Slytherin _ , he thought,  _ he certainly wouldn’t have believed it if I had said it _ .

“Very well. Class dismissed. I must go and speak with Professor Lockhart.” Snape left his steps carrying an aura of danger. Everyone slowly started packing up with Malfoy loudly complaining over being drenched. Robin turned to look at Lucas who looked rather relieved as Mark patted him on the back. 

“You’re welcome,” Clover whispered to them as she passed by their desks. All three boys shared a bewildered look. She had known it was them that had released the pixie. She had saved them despite her known hatred for Lucas. Robin couldn’t understand why but he had a feeling there was more to Clover Selwyn than what she led on. 


	7. Chamber of Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It turned out they didn’t have to put too much effort into keeping that a secret. Lockhart had started a duelling club. The professor was going to, supposedly, teach students how to duel. Lucas had dragged all of them to it. 
> 
> “There are only two things that can happen! Either we learn something or see Lockhart get humiliated. It’s a win-win!” He had said as he managed to push their small group to the front. 
> 
> “Is it wrong of me that I want to see our professor get humiliated?” Robin pondered out loud.
> 
> “Nah. He’s got it coming.” Mark replied as Lockhart got to the middle of the room. “Flitwick should be the one teaching. He was a master duellist after all.” 
> 
> “Lockhart would have probably insisted to co-host the club.” Lucas theorised as Lockhart started talking. “After seeing what he did to Harry’s arms, I also wouldn’t want to be on the opposite side of that egomaniac’s wand. No matter how incompetent at magic he is.”
> 
> “Five points to Ravenclaw, Mr. Abbot.” All three boys turned around to see Flitwick wink at them before disappearing into the sea of students in the hopes of getting a closer seat. Sharing equally amused grins, they turned their attention back to Lockhart's rambling. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a longer chapter :)

October came and so did the chill. Robin was glad to have the mittens that Evelyn had knitted for him last Christmas. The cold had settled throughout the castle yet the students' spirits remained, for the most part, high. Quidditch trials had started at the beginning of the month and Robin, Mark, and Trisha had found themselves being unceremoniously dragged to both the Ravenclaw trials and the Hufflepuff trials. 

“Why are they so early? It’s even colder out now than usual,” Trisha was complaining as she huddled against Mark. Both boys agreed with her. They had come down to watch Lucas try out for the Beater position before breakfast. Their breath came out in puffs due to the cold and they seemed to be the only ones watching. Everyone else had opted to stay in bed. Evelyn didn’t seem to mind the cold, though. She was sitting at the end of her seat shouting words of encouragement at Lucas.

“Is it wrong that a part of me hopes they don’t make it?” Whispered Mark so that Evelyn wouldn’t hear. “We’re going to get dragged to every practice if they do, mark my words.” Robin groaned at the slight pun. 

“I’ll watch the games but I’m never getting up at this ungodly hour ever again,” Trisha whispered back. 

Lucas made the team. Robin wasn’t too surprised, considering the young Ravenclaw had managed to aim and hit every single Bludger that came his way. He flew down towards them, waving his bat around with a proud grin. “I’m a Beater!” Evelyn hugged him tight in congratulations. Robin, Mark, and Trisha pulled them back towards the castle. 

The next weekend they found themselves doing the same for Evelyn’s trials. Trisha had, unashamedly, brought her comforter down with her this time. Robin was the one huddled against her this time. Evelyn was flying with ease. She was trying out for the Chaser position and Robin thought she was a natural. It came as no surprise when she also made her team. 

From then on, all Robin heard was Quidditch talk. Evelyn and Lucas seemed to go back and forth between sharing tactics to challenging one another for their next match. Robin and Mark had enough of them. Trisha didn’t seem to mind surprisingly. 

“I think it’s cute when she’s so passionate over something,” Trisha confessed one afternoon. They were packing up Evelyn and Lucas’s stuff, the two having been kicked out of the library when one of their Quidditch arguments had gotten too loud. Robin and Mark shared an incredulous look but didn’t dare contradict her. 

Trisha had rolled her eyes at their silence and gone off to join the other two, leaving the Ravenclaws behind. Mark sighed, handing Robin Lucas’s bag. “She’s mental… I just wish there was something for us as well. Considering the load of muggle-born students this castle has, it’s a bit rubbish that the only sport the school offers is Quidditch.”

Robin pondered Mark’s words as they walked back to their common room. “You’re not wrong, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing we can do.” He set Lucas’s bag on the corresponding bed and rushed to his. Mark was right behind him. 

“What d’you mean?” Mark asked as Robin rummaged through his trunk. 

“Do you like football, Thompson?” He held up an old Quidditch magazine with an air of triumph. Mark gave him a wary look. 

“I do… not the American version. I like actual football.” Robin nodded at his words and patted his shoulder. 

“As you should. So why don’t we play it?” 

“Well, the main issue is we’re only two blokes. The second issue is we have no ball.” Robin swatted Mark’s arm playfully with the magazine. 

“I bet we can get some of the upper years to transfigure this magazine into a football. We can also invite other muggle-borns to play with us.” Mark was sold on the idea. 

Penelope Clearwater, their prefect, happily helped them with the transfiguration. She liked the idea of forming a small football team. Robin thought she especially liked it since it meant there would be fewer students loitering about the common room. 

Mark had dragged him around the castle to find interested students. Before Robin knew it, a rather large crowd had gathered behind the castle. Dean Tomas, a Gryffindor from their year seemed the most excited. There were several students from all houses, excluding Slytherin. In the end, they decided to mix houses in order to form equal teams.

Robin soon found himself in a comfortable routine. His classes were manageable still and his weekends were now filled with football games. Dean Tomas was an absolute menace and Seamus Finnigan had taken to calling him the Oliver Wood of muggle sports. Mark turned out to be an amazing goalie. Robin preferred to play offence and found himself playing either alongside or against Michael Williams. He also played offence. Robin found himself wondering if there was something that Evelyn’s brother was not good at. Even Lucas and Evelyn had joined them for several games when they didn’t have practice. Trisha remained on the sidelines, cheering them all on. 

October flew by with no further incidents. Robin counted himself lucky to get to the Halloween feast with no detentions this time around. It was just as amazing as he had remembered. Curiously, some of the ghosts were absent. Rowena Ravenclaw, their ghost, made an off-hand comment about Sir Nicholas having a ghostly dinner for his 55 year anniversary of being dead. Robin decided not to ask. Lucas and Mark, thankfully, seemed to have the same idea and all three boys dug into their meals. Lucas and Robin had had the genius idea to bring their empty bags to the table to stuff them with candy. 

In the end, Dumbledore had to politely ask the students to leave the Great Hall. No one was eager to but for once everyone seemed at peace. Even the Slytherins were walking alongside everybody else. The peace was short-lived, however. The crowd in front of them seemed to come to an abrupt halt as did the chatter of voices. Mark, Robin, and Lucas exchanged looks and started pushing themselves to the front of the crowd. 

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were standing against the wall, wide-eyed. If that wasn’t weird enough, someone appeared to have written a message in blood against the wall and Mrs. Norris was hanging from the lantern, unmoving. 

“The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir… beware.” Draco’s voice broke the silence as he read what was written in blood. Robin felt a chill pass through him. 

Somehow that wasn’t the worst of it. Filch started pushing through the students, finally arriving at the scene of the crime. Upon seeing the cat, Filch let out a scream, hands going up to cover his face in disbelief. 

“My cat! My cat! What happened to my cat?” Robin felt horrible. Filch was a nasty and bitter man but no one deserved this. No one seemed to move. Even Harry, Ron, and Hermione seemed rooted to their spot despite how guilty it made them look. Filch seemed to think the same, rushing towards Harry. 

“You!” He yelled out. “You killed my cat! You killed her! And now I’m going to kill you! I will...” 

“Argus.” The Headmaster, along with the rest of the staff, appeared amongst the students. His calm voice imposing and stopping Filch in his tracks. Dumbledore walked up and carefully picked up Mrs. Norris. “Follow me, Argus. You all as well, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, and Ms. Granger.”

Mark elbowed Robin in the stomach and pointed towards Lockhart, who was shoving past Snape to get to the front. Robin quickly tugged on Lucas’s sleeve to get him to notice as well. 

“My office is right next door, Headmaster. If you wish to use it…” 

“He can’t be bloody serious,” whispered Lucas next to him. 

“Thank you, Gilderoy,” Dumbledore said. At that, Lockhart immediately started following Dumbledore, shoving his way past Snape once more. McGonagall and Snape told the students to go back to their common room and went after Dumbledore as well. 

The prefects quickly got into gear, escorting their houses back to their corresponding common rooms. The atmosphere was muted now. Everyone seemed eager to get to bed and the prefects of their house were more than happy to enforce that sentiment. Lucas, Mark, and Robin made their way up to their dormitory after a particularly nasty glare from said Head Girl.

“What does ‘enemy of the heir’ even mean?” Asked Mark as they all got ready for bed. Robin shrugged. He had been wondering the same. Lucas seemed to freeze at the question before turning to look at them. 

“It means muggle-born students,” the boy answered, glancing at Mark. 

“What? What heir?” Mark was frowning, though not necessarily at Luke. 

“Salazar Slytherin!” Robin had connected the dots. Lucas nodded at his words. 

“Salazar Slytherin, one of the founders of Hogwarts. He was against muggle-born students studying here. Legend has it he planted a monster in a secret chamber to help get rid of those students.” 

Mark looked at him. He looked hesitant, nervous almost. Lucas tried to give a nonchalant shrug as if to appease Mark’s worries. 

“As I said, it’s a legend. It’s probably a Slimy Slytherin trying to play a Halloween prank. There’s no way a monster could’ve survived all those years anyway.” 

“Still… it’s not a friendly prank.” Mark went to sit over at Lucas’s bed, biting on his lower lip nervously. The raven-haired boy quickly made space for him and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. 

“Don’t worry! We won’t let anything happen to our Mark. Right, Robin?” 

Robin nodded and went to join them on the bed, sitting beside Mark as well. He’d hex whoever it was that had made the prank. Mark was right. It wasn’t friendly or funny. It was more of a threat than a prank really. 

“What they did to Mrs. Norris though… Is she really dead?” Both boys turned to look at Mark. Neither of them had seemed to remember that particular detail. 

“It just means we have to study D.A.D.A. more. We can defend ourselves. No one’s going to kill us here,” Robin said. Mark seemed to relax slightly at that as if remembering that he could use magic to defend himself. 

“We should be revising anyways. I don’t care how many bloody books Lockhart has written about his supposed triumphs. That man is useless!” Lucas grumbled next to them. Mark laughed at that statement. The mood went back up after that and they all returned to their beds. 

In the following weeks, the incident was forgotten. News rang out that Mrs. Norris had been petrified, not killed. After that the student body seemed to relax. No culprit had been found but no further incidents had taken place. Everyone went back to their regular schedules. Quidditch practices still took place and Mark and Robin’s football matches still occurred. 

Padma said the Grynffindors had tried to find more information over the Chamber of Secrets. However, according to her sister, no one had had luck on the matter. The majority of the student body was quick to forget about it. Only the Slytherins seemed happy to bring it back up. They had taken to taunting the muggle-born students with the subject. 

Lucas had already jinxed Crabbe twice over the course of one week. Robin himself had used the knockback-jinx on Marcus Flint when he heard him harassing some first-years. Mark had had the pleasure of using Petrificus Totalus on a taunting Malfoy. Not even Evelyn had been spared. In true muggle fashion, she opted for physical retribution. Millicent Bulstrode had run away crying, holding her cheek. 

Their classes had become even more monotonous than ever. With the exception of D.A.D.A. where Lockhart had become a fan of reenacting several passages of his books. The students were supposed to play the part of the monsters and victims. Lockhart supposedly swooped in to save the day. 

“How is this educational?” Robin whispered to Lucas as they watched Terry imitate a banshee. 

“I just want to know how Dumbledore, who’s supposedly so smart, hired this guy.” Lucas had responded. 

Both Lucas and Robin shared love for D.A.D.A. Unfortunately, it seemed that their passion would forever be limited if the professors they’d had so far were any indication. At least getting yelled at by Snape meant that Lockhart no longer dared to leave them alone with dangerous creatures. 

The next weekend was the first Quidditch match. Gryffindor vs. Slytherin was opening the season. It seemed as if the whole school was interested in going this time. Robin had his suspicions that this was due more to a desire to see Slytherin lose than an actual interest in the game. 

The game was interesting enough. Harry seemed to be personally followed by a Bludger. It seemed dead-set on killing the young Gryffindor. A half-time was called but nothing seemed to get fixed during that time. Harry was still getting chased. The Bludger hit Harry in the arm moments later. Robin was sure that it was broken. Nevertheless, Harry managed to get the Snitch. The young Seeker fell to the ground seconds later and seemed to faint. Lockhart was the first to rush out to the scene, kneeling over Harry.

“Poor bloke’s as good as dead now.” Lucas said as they watched Lockhart try and tend to Harry. 

“Who’s that kid with the camera?” Asked Trisha. She was leaning over the railing, trying to get a better look. Robin joined her, noting that there was a young Gryffindor that was taking pictures of Harry’s prone body. Oliver Wood joined the party and Robin noted that he was grinning despite Harry’s obvious injury.

“Oh no. Say goodbye to the Saviour…” Trisha muttered as Lockhart pointed his wand at Harry. Small gasps could be heard throughout the stands as Harry stood up. The Seeker’s arm was drooping unnaturally to the ground. Lucas, Mark, and Evelyn had joined them against the rails and were sharing equally horrified looks. 

“Did he make Harry’s bones disappear?” Mark shouted. If Harry’s horrified and angry expression was anything to go by, yes, Lockhart had made the bones disappear. Harry was led off to the infirmary by the twins. Soon enough the people in the stands started leaving. Robin wondered, once more, how Lockhart was qualified to be a teacher. 

The following Monday, the news about Harry’s arm was all but forgotten. A new rumour was spreading around the castle like wildfire. Colin, the kid with the camera, had been petrified. The rumour was soon confirmed by the Gryffindors and the whole school entered into a panic. Madam Pomfrey couldn’t cure Colin and no one knew who had done it. 

The muggle-born students no longer walked alone through the hallways. Mark and Evelyn thought this was a bit of an overkill but Lucas didn’t seem so sure. A lot of people seemed to think it was the supposed monster of the Chamber of Secrets. Others thought that it was a seventh-year Slytherin that was behind the attacks, that Mrs. Norris had been practice and now he had moved on to the real thing. It would certainly explain the powerful spell or potion that was used to petrify. Others thought it was Snape who had finally snapped. The wildest theory so far was that Colin had refused to take Lockhart’s picture so the man had petrified him in revenge. 

“That theory makes it seem like Lockhart’s a powerful wizard,” Lucas explained to Lisa. “He quite clearly isn’t. The man doesn’t even seem capable of a simple Expelliarmus.” Lisa, a previous admirer of Lockhart, had flushed from head to toe and left in a fit of anger. Mark took her seat on the couch of the common room. He was brandishing a truly horrendous necklace. 

“Looking to get a headstart in fashion, Mark?” Robin asked, eyeing the necklace with disgust. Mark stuck his tongue out at him as Lucas snatched the necklace. 

“Seriously, mate. What the bloody hell is this?” Lucas was holding it up now, looking as if it had personally offended him. 

“It’s, supposedly, a dark magic repellent,” Mark explained as he grabbed it back. “Someone in Hufflepuff gave it to me as a ‘freebie’. Since I’m muggle-born and all.” 

“Oh, Merlin.” Lucas shook his head and narrowed his eyes at Mark. “You don’t actually believe it works, do you?” 

“Of course not! I’m not completely stupid. The Hufflepuffs have started a whole underground market of this, though.”

Lucas let out a loud groan, slouching against his couch. Robin muffled his laughter. Whoever it was that had started the black market of amulets had been a visionary. Throughout the week Robin saw more and more of those amulets on students. Evelyn had walked up to them with a necklace made out of paperclips. Lucas had ripped it off and started yelling about how ineffective they were, not to mention ugly. 

Evelyn had stared in utter shock and before anyone could react, Trisha had raised her wand and had cast a rather powerful Tarantallegra on Lucas. It turned out that the paperclip necklace was not an amulet but rather something that Trisha had made and proudly given to Evelyn as a gift. Lucas was begging for forgiveness for the rest of the week. Mark and Robin did not stop laughing at him. 

Life carried on and no further attacks took place. Flitwick had gone around the common room with the list for students who wished to stay at Hogwarts during Christmas break. Upon Lucas's insistence, Mark and Robin decided not to stay. Evelyn and Trisha were staying though, something that they were keeping carefully hidden until the last moment from Lucas. 

It turned out they didn’t have to put too much effort into keeping that a secret. Lockhart had started a duelling club. The professor was going to, supposedly, teach students how to duel. Lucas had dragged all of them to it. 

“There are only two things that can happen! Either we learn something or see Lockhart get humiliated. It’s a win-win!” He had said as he managed to push their small group to the front. 

“Is it wrong of me that I want to see our professor get humiliated?” Robin pondered out loud.

“Nah. He’s got it coming.” Mark replied as Lockhart got to the middle of the room. “Flitwick should be the one teaching. He was a master duellist after all.” 

“Lockhart would have probably insisted to co-host the club.” Lucas theorised as Lockhart started talking. “After seeing what he did to Harry’s arms, I also wouldn’t want to be on the opposite side of that egomaniac’s wand. No matter how incompetent at magic he is.”

“Five points to Ravenclaw, Mr. Abbot.” All three boys turned around to see Flitwick wink at them before disappearing into the sea of students in the hopes of getting a closer seat. Sharing equally amused grins, they turned their attention back to Lockhart's rambling. 

“Allow me to present to you, my assistant! Professor Snape!” Lucas looked like a kid at Christmas when Snape appeared. 

“This is a miracle. I hope they seriously harm one another!” Lucas whispered to them as Lockhart kept talking. 

“Calm down, Mr. Psychopath.” Mark muttered back with a fond grin. 

Robin thought the odds of them harming each other were high. Lockhart would do it on accident but if Snape’s downright murderous looks were anything to go by…  _ Who would’ve thought that Lucas and Snape would have a common enemy _ , Robin thought, _ they both want to see Lockhart suffer. _

The duel started and Lockhart was immediately blasted backwards by Snape’s disarmament charm. The D.A.D.A. professor tried to save face by pretending that not only did he know what Snape was going to do but allowed him to do so to show the students how it was done.

“What a load of rubbish!” Mark exclaimed. Robin and Lucas nodded in agreement. 

After that Lockhart and Snape went around pairing students. Mark was paired with Terry. Robin and Lucas were paired together. Further ahead he noted how Clover and Trisha were paired by Snape. Evelyn and Hannah were paired by Lockhart and, curiously, Draco and Harry were paired together by Snape. Everyone knew those two hated each other. Robin wondered what Snape was playing at. 

“I’m going to blast you, Sallow.” Robin turned back to look at Lucas and raised an eyebrow at his words. 

“You can certainly try, Abbott.” 

Both boys drew their wands at the same time and shouted Expelliarmus. Their wands flew off at the same time. They took a second to process what had happened before bursting into laughter. They rushed off to find their wands. Lucas found his first but was kind enough to wait for Robin to have his before casting Tarantallegra at him. 

“Flipendo!” Robin cast as he danced. Lucas flew backwards, colliding against Blaise. The young Slytherin turned around, furious. Lucas had made Zabini’s own jinx miss its intended target. Before anything could happen, Snape had called the attention back onto himself. The room was a mess. Seamus looked furious, Ron looked very apologetic. Hermione’s hair was, somehow, even messier than usual. Clover’s robes had a nasty tear on them and Trisha’s feet were still dancing of their own accord. Mark was uttering apologies as Terry tried to stop his nose bleed. Robin thought for sure that they were going to dismiss the club. 

Robin was wrong. Snape was having Harry and Draco duel each other as an example. They were about to witness a blood-bath. Everyone gathered around to look. It seemed as if everyone wanted to see the outcome of this duel. Draco was smirking the whole time. 

“Serpensortia!” Malfoy’s shout resonated. A snake appeared from the tip of his wand, launching itself at Harry. Everyone scrambled backwards, a few students letting out screams of terror. Snape and Malfoy seemed to be the only two smiling. 

“Don’t worry, Potter.” Snape started to say. Lockhart cut in, walking towards the snake. 

“I’ll take care of it!” The DADA professor raised his wand towards the snake. Lucas gripped Robin’s arm in terror. An explosion could be heard and the snake flew up in the air, falling several feet away from where it had previously been. Robin could hear the furious hisses from where he was. The snake was enraged and everyone stared in horror as it made its way to Justin. 

A louder hiss cut through the gasps of horrors. Robin turned to look towards the noise, as did several other students. Harry Potter was hissing at the snake and walking towards it. What was worse, the snake had stopped advancing and had turned to look at Harry. It no longer seemed angry. Lucas’s grip on his arm had turned painful. 

“What are you playing at?” Justin’s furious shout cut the silence. Harry stopped smiling. Before anyone could react, Justin had run out of the room. No one dared move until Snape vanished the snake. He felt Lucas drag him away and before he knew it, they were standing by the library. Mark, Trisha, and Evelyn had joined them. 

“What was that? What’s wrong with you two?” Evelyn asked, noting how Trisha and Lucas seemed to be rather shaken up. 

“Harry’s a parseltongue.” Lucas muttered. 

“A what?” Mark was frowning. He looked rather annoyed but then again, he always looked annoyed when he didn’t understand something. 

“A parseltongue,” Trisha explained. “It means he can talk to snakes. It’s a very rare gift to have...it’s usually associated with dark magic.” 

“Not only that. It’s something that’s supposedly exclusive to the descendants of Slytherin.” Lucas added. “You know, the one who built the Chamber of Secrets with a monster in it?” 

“Not this again.” Mark groaned. “I really doubt that there’s any monster at Hogwarts. Dumbledore wouldn’t allow it.” 

“Besides, Harry’s too nice to go around killing muggle-borns,” Robin said. “Hermione’s his best friend after all. She’s muggle-born.” 

“Maybe but… didn’t he kill an evil and powerful wizard as a baby?” Evelyn cut in. “I’m not saying that Harry’s evil but it is possible that he has some secrets no one knows about.” 

“What? Like petrifying muggle-borns when no one is looking? As a fun little hobby?” Mark’s tone was near mocking. Evelyn aimed a glare in his direction. 

“No need to act like a twat. I’m just saying it’s something worth considering.” 

Mark stayed quiet. Evelyn huffed and walked away. Trisha seemed to hesitate before going after her. Lucas let out a sigh. 

“We’re leaving for break tomorrow. Let’s not leave angry.” Robin said, placing a hand against Mark’s shoulder. 

“I’m not angry!” Said Mark, angrily. 

“And Lockhart’s the most talented wizard there is,” muttered Robin in response. Mark seemed to smile slightly at that. 

“Well come on, you lot! I bet I can get the riddle before any of you!” Lucas shouted, cutting the tension. The raven-haired boy rushed off towards the Ravenclaw tower before he received an answer. Mark and Robin chased after him. The next morning they all left for the holidays. Lucas had been downright furious when he saw that Evelyn and Trisha had opted to stay. Robin and Mark tried to cheer him up to no avail. 


	8. Petrifications

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They all sat down around the bed, The Cure playing softly in the background. Neither of them said anything. They were far too used to throwing hexes, jinxes, and swears at each other that the idea of small talk was challenging. Finally, it was Lucas that broke the silence. 
> 
> “We never did thank you for saving us with Snape, did we?” Clover beamed at them. 
> 
> Trisha walked in on them hours later. She arrived with Mark, Michael, and Alicia who seemed rather surprised to see Robin and Lucas laughing at Clover’s story. Trisha smiled for the first time in weeks. She ran towards them, sitting down next to her sister and pulling her into a hug. 
> 
> “It’s about time you all became friends!” 
> 
> Robin was glad to see her so happy. Mark sat down next to Robin, giving him his brightest smile. Michael and Alicia joined their circle. They seemed a bit hesitant when they saw Clover’s tie, Slytherin green, but even they slowly relaxed into the chatter. They all needed a happy distraction. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Darker tones in this chapter.   
> Would love to know what you think!

His winter break was uneventful. His father was, as per usual, absent. His mum tried to pretend to be happy but Robin noticed that her smiles seemed forced and her eyes never shined. He spent the holidays writing back and forth with Lucas and Mark. They decided to use the journals Lucas had given them last Christmas. They had used them from time to time in classes and Robin thought it best to use them during the break. The owls upset his mum. 

He thought it was kind of weird how he hadn’t heard from Trisha and Evelyn. Not even for Christmas Eve. He couldn’t afford to dwell on it though. His mum seemed more and more distant every day. Robin was scared of losing her. He was scared that she’d turn distant like his father. 

“Robin...Robin!” Lucas’s voice snapped him back to the real world. They were back on the Hogwarts Express. Winter break had ended. 

“I asked if you heard from Trish or Evelyn. Mark didn’t and neither did I.” Lucas asked as he put on his uniform. 

“Lucas probably didn’t hear from them since they knew he was furious they had stayed. Evelyn and I had that small fight before we left so that’s why I didn’t hear from them. You had no issues with them so… Did they write to you?” Mark was staring at him with his confused frown. 

“No...no they didn’t write at all. I did think it was kind of odd but maybe they were distracted.” Neither of them seemed convinced. Even to Robin, it seemed like false hope. 

All three of them were eager to reach Hogwarts. The suspense of their friends’ whereabouts was killing them. They didn’t have to wait too long to find out. Trisha was waiting for them at the station, along with Flitwick and Sprout. Before either of them could ask what was happening, Trisha had launched herself at them in tears. 

“It’s Evelyn! She’s been petrified.” 

Robin felt rooted to the spot. Trisha was hanging on to him tightly, her tears slowly soaking through his winter coat. Professor Sprout and Professor Flitwick were trying to explain what had happened. Evelyn had finally found the way into the kitchens it seemed. She had gone there the night after Christmas to get a midnight snack. A Prefect had found her the next morning. No one knew at what time the attack took place, nor who did it. 

They were led to the infirmary where Evelyn’s prone body laid. Michael was sitting next to her bed. He looked like a mess. They greeted each other, although no one seemed happy to be here. Evelyn’s face was frozen in shock. One of her arms was raised at head level, the hand clutching a silver spoon. 

“At least she made it to the kitchen. One last meal,” Michael said when he saw the others staring at the spoon. Trisha burst into tears again. Robin held her tighter against his chest. 

“Good news! Madam Pomfrey said that they do have a cure! It’s just going to take time since they have to wait for the Mandrakes to mature...oh, hello!” Everyone turned to stare at the new voice. It belonged to Alicia Reyes, a third-year Gryffindor. Robin remembered seeing her next to Michael several times. 

Michael seemed to perk up slightly at the sight of his friend. He made short work of the introductions and went to stand by her side. Trisha immediately took his seat, gathering Evelyn’s petrified hand in hers. Lucas, Mark, and Robin remained standing over Evelyn although they offered kind smiles in exchange for greetings. They all seemed to settle in some sort of quiet grievance. No one said anything, no one wanted to leave. 

“Oh!” Professor McGonagall had just come out of a closed-off bed. She seemed surprised to see them all there although she quickly composed herself. “Mr. Williams, of course, you’d still be here. I’m glad to see you’re no longer alone.” She took in the sight of them and her gaze softened. “Mr. Williams, do feel free to miss the first week if you need. I’ll make sure no one holds it against you.”

She gave them all a smile before exiting. Professor Sprout and Flitwick followed her out. Lucas turned to the bed that had the curtains drawn. No sound was coming from there. It seemed eerily quiet. 

“Who’s in there?” Lucas asked, turning to look at Michael and Alicia. 

“Hermione Granger,” Alicia whispered. “I think she’s been petrified too, although Pomfrey won’t say.” 

It wasn’t until the night that his shock wore off. He was lying down on his bed. Mark and Lucas had already fallen asleep. He felt insurmountable anger take over him. Who would dare petrify Evelyn? She was the nicest girl ever. She was kind, smart, and loyal. Evelyn always looked for the best in people and always tried to make them laugh. 

He remembered his first time on the Hogwarts Express and how Evelyn had managed to melt his anxiety with just a smile. All her antics in class, the way she never provoked a fight but never back down either. Her love for Peeves and for riling him up. The way her eyes shone whenever she spoke about Quidditch. Evelyn was such a kind soul. 

He wished he could avenge her. He wished he at least knew who did it. He held on to that anger for the rest of the week. In the back of his mind, he knew it wasn’t the best coping mechanism but he didn’t have another. 

The days seemed to pass by with the only novelty being that Hermione was not petrified. No one knew what caused her to be in the infirmary for a week. Robin had tried to ask her but she had dodged his questions at every turn once more. Nothing else had changed. Evelyn was still petrified. Trisha grew more and more inconsolable by the day. She felt guilty. 

“I should’ve gone with her to the kitchens! We should’ve gone home as Lucas told her!” Robin just held her tighter as she cried. 

“Trish, no one blames you. Who knows what might’ve happened if you’d been with her. You could be petrified too.” He murmured against her hair. No one blamed Trisha but she insisted that it was her fault. 

Robin felt helpless. It seemed like the only one who would know how to uplift spirits was the one that was stuck in the infirmary. 

Lucas had taken to writing down all the Quidditch matches that occurred. Mark had been doing all her missing assignments. Michael and Alicia, especially Alicia, had taken to pestering both Madam Pomfrey and Professor Sprout about the Mandrakes. 

The only positive thing that was coming out of this whole ordeal is that they had all grown a lot closer. Especially with Michael and Alicia. They were both very kind. 

Michael was extremely thankful for everyone’s help and company. He was polite and reserved. He wasn’t loud like Evelyn but his presence was just as notable. Robin and he quickly bonded over their love for D.A.D.A. and Charms. 

Alicia was amazing. She was bright and confident and her mere presence made you feel like you were taken care of. She was a half-blood like him. Her mother was Eleanor Macmillan, a renown judge of the Wizemagot, and her father was a muggle lawyer. Alicia did not want to follow in their footsteps. She wanted to be a mediwitch for St. Mungos. 

“Madam Pomfrey has been teaching me how to heal since my second year! I wanted to get a headstart and you never know when it can come in useful.” She had explained one afternoon. 

Robin could see her as a doctor. She was calm and kind and treated everyone with respect. She was also always fussing after the students in the infirmary, making sure they were healing with no complications. 

Robin was almost certain that Alicia and Michael liked each other. They were always together. Both of them would look at each other with big goofy smiles and Robin was sure he saw them holding hands once. 

“You’d get a good laugh outta that, Evelyn.” He had taken to speaking to her when no one else was around. “Anyways, I brought you something.” 

He carefully pressed into her semi-open hand the preserved four-leaf clover that she had gifted to him on his birthday. 

“You said it brought good luck and well… you need it more than me right now.” He could feel the tears gathering in his eyes. His vision became blurry and he hastily wiped them away. 

A strong pair of arms wrapped him into a hug from behind. He jumped in surprise, twisting around to see who it was. Lucas was holding him tightly. Robin didn’t find it in him to mind or to move away. 

“She’s gonna be alright, mate. I promise.” Lucas said quietly. Neither of them moved away. Robin’s hand shot up to grasp Lucas’s arm, trying to return the embrace. 

He truly didn’t know what he would do without Lucas. The Ravenclaw had become like a brother to him. He found comfort with Lucas and the other boy just seemed to know how to deal with him no matter what. 

“Is this a bad time?” They both jumped this time turning around to greet the new voice. 

It was Clover Selwyn, standing at the edge of the bed awkwardly. She seemed very out of place and was carrying a large box that made her stand out even more. 

“What are you doing here? Came to gloat?” Lucas went to stand in front of Evelyn’s body protectively. 

“No.” Clover gave him a mild glare. “Trish told me what happened and I came to...to give her this.” She handed the box to a perplexed Lucas. 

“Look, I know we don’t get along but I wouldn’t wish this on anyone. I’m sorry this happened to Evelyn. She’s a really nice girl,” Clover continued. Lucas just stood there, his mouth wide open. 

“Well? What’s in the box?” Robin stood up to nudge Lucas back into action. The raven-haired boy carefully set the box on the bed and opened it. 

“A...record player?” At Lucas’s words, Robin peered into the box. It was a dark red General Electric Solid State record player. It looked fancier than all of Robin’s things combined. Along with the record player, Clover had included several vinyls. 

“Trish told me that Evelyn loved music so I thought… Well maybe she should have music whilst she’s here.” Clover eyed Evelyn before focusing back on them. Lucas was looking at her as if she was a brand new person. 

“Thank you, Clover. This is very nice of you.” Robin said as he grabbed the record player. He put it down on the small nightstand and put the first record on.  _ Friday I’m In Love _ by The Cure started playing. Robin could feel his eyebrows raise in shock and turned to look at Clover. 

“You have muggle records?” Lucas blurted out. 

“Yes well…” Clover’s cheeks were red. “I tell the other Slytherin’s they’re a wizard band from the United States. They’re none the wiser for now.” 

“Blimey, Selwyn. We underestimated you.” Robin smiled and Clover gave him a small smile back.

“I’m sorry this happened to Evelyn and I’m sorry you lot are going through this… truce?” She raised her hand for them to shake. Robin walked over and shook her hand. Clover’s stoic but kind presence had helped calm his nerves. He nudged Lucas and the boy seemed to react, shaking off his surprise and shaking her hand as well. 

They all sat down around the bed, The Cure playing softly in the background. Neither of them said anything. They were far too used to throwing hexes, jinxes, and swears at each other that the idea of small talk was challenging. Finally, it was Lucas that broke the silence. 

“We never did thank you for saving us with Snape, did we?” Clover beamed at them. 

Trisha walked in on them hours later. She arrived with Mark, Michael, and Alicia who seemed rather surprised to see Robin and Lucas laughing at Clover’s story. Trisha smiled for the first time in weeks. She ran towards them, sitting down next to her sister and pulling her into a hug. 

“It’s about time you all became friends!” 

Robin was glad to see her so happy. Mark sat down next to Robin, giving him his brightest smile. Michael and Alicia joined their circle. They seemed a bit hesitant when they saw Clover’s tie, Slytherin green, but even they slowly relaxed into the chatter. They all needed a happy distraction. 

They all seemed to adapt to their new reality. They went to their classes and came back to the infirmary every afternoon. Madam Pomfrey had graciously allowed them to stay until dinner each day. No new attacks had happened and everyone seemed to settle. 

Their classes went on despite the obvious absences. It seemed like all the professors were trying their best to keep an air of normalcy. Soon enough it came time for the second years to pick their classes for their upcoming third year. Professor Flitwick had assigned them a time to go meet with him and pick the classes they wished to take. 

Lucas and Robin had strategically made their appointment during Potions. Mark, following the idea, made his appointment during Transfigurations. Flitwick had given them an exasperated look once he noticed but in an act of extreme kindness, didn’t make them reschedule. 

Lucas and Robin parted ways with Mark when it was time for them to head to Potions, or at least they tried to. Lucas was shoving a small compact mirror into Mark’s hand, despite the brunet’s clear attempts to hand it back. 

“Look! You can use it to check the corners before you walk in. Just to make sure no one is there waiting.” The blue-eyed boy was saying as he forced Mark to take the mirror. 

“You’re being paranoid! No one is just waiting around the corner to attack people! Tell him, Robin.” Mark turned to look at Robin, imploring with his eyes. Robin shook his head quickly. 

“I’m not getting in the middle of this… just take the mirror, mate.” He said trying to pacify Lucas without aggravating Mark. 

“Really? No one is just waiting to attack? Why don’t you go and say that to Evelyn?” Lucas snarled. Mark’s reaction was immediate. He shoved Lucas away hard, making the other boy stumble down to the ground. 

“Enough!” Robin got in the middle as Lucas sprung back up. “Mark! You can’t just shove him like that!” 

“He can’t just weaponise Evelyn like that either!” Mark yelled back. 

“I’m not weaponising her! I’m trying to pull your head out of your arse!” Lucas snarled. He nearly shoved Mark back if Robin hadn’t blocked his arms. 

“Stop it! The both of you. Lucas, it was a cheap shot, okay? Mark, Lucas is just trying to protect you. Take the mirror!” Robin felt twin glares settle on him. “Oh piss off the both of you.” 

Lucas snorted at Robin’s words. Mark didn’t try to return the mirror anymore. They all seemed to reach a mutual truce. The mirror was placed inside Mark’s pocket and Lucas gave an awkward apology. Robin breathes out a sigh of relief. 

He gives Mark a pat on the back and grabs Lucas’s sleeve to drag him away. They made their way towards Flitwick’s office, both glad to have an excuse to avoid Snape. As they neared, Lucas seemed to grow more and more excited.

“I can’t wait for us three to take Arithmancy together! Then I plan to take Muggle Studies. Mark said he could teach me but he has no patience so I’ll take my chances with the class. Oi, we’re still on for Ancient Runes, right?” 

Robin nodded. All three of them had agreed to take two classes together and then one by themselves. They had chosen Arithmancy and Ancient Runes as their classes in common then Lucas had picked Muggle Studies with Trisha and Mark had chosen Divination with Clover. Robin had opted for Care of Magical Creatures as his third option. He wondered what Evelyn would choose once she could. Probably Divinations, Care of Magical Creatures, and Arithmancy as well. 

“I wonder who’ll teach Care of Magical Creatures though. I heard Kettleburn’s retiring.” Robin said as Lucas knocked on Flitwick’s door. 

“Maybe Lockhart? I doubt they’ll keep him in D.A.D.A.” Lucas smirked. Robin shoved him away playfully. 

“Piss off, I’d rather die.” 

Flitwick chose that moment to open that door. Their Head of House levelled a disapproving look onto Robin. 

“Mr. Sallow, do try not to use such vile language. I’ll be forced to take points away next time.” He waved them in, both boys shuffling past him. Flitwick and Sprout seemed to be the most relaxed and passive Head of Houses. Robin was endlessly thankful for that. Flitwick let them register for their classes without much fuss and let them go. 

“Feel free to go to your common room, lads.” Their Head of House winked. “Not much sense in going all the way to the dungeons now.” 

Lucas and Robin didn’t need to be told twice. They rushed off to their common room where they messed around with a rather loud game of Exploding Snap, much to the upper-years frustration. They were unceremoniously kicked out from the room once the bell rang for their Transfigurations class. Both boys were still laughing over the anger of the fifth and seventh-year Ravenclaws that they failed to notice how they didn’t cross paths with Mark. 

McGonagall’s lesson had felt long and drawn out to Robin. He was far too accustomed to sitting next to Mark. The brunet struggling beside him used to keep him entertained. Mark’s furious glares at whatever object or animal they were supposed to be transfiguring were usually funny enough to keep the class interesting for Robin. Mark would always whine and curse whenever McGonagall was out of earshot. Robin found it rather endearing, especially when the brunet would lay his head against Robin’s shoulder with a dramatic sigh when his spell failed once more. It was also comforting because he himself was rather bad at Transfigurations.

Sitting next to Lucas was torture. He loved the blue-eyed boy like a brother but Lucas’s natural talent at Transfigurations was rather annoying, especially when his slippers still had rabbit ears. Their lesson finally ended and both boys, joined by Clover, rushed down to the infirmary to visit Evelyn. 

Trisha and Alicia had beaten them there. The Foundation’s  _ Build Me Up Buttercup  _ was playing faintly on Clover’s record player next to the bed. The girls welcomed them with warm smiles but before either of them could say something, rushing footsteps made their way to them. 

“There you are, lads!” Flitwick’s sharp voice had them all turn around in surprise. “I’m so sorry…” Their professor looked apologetic. Robin felt his blood freeze in his veins. 

“No…” Luke’s horrified voice was barely audible, despite the boy standing right next to him. Robin felt the blood rush in his ears. He turned around as if to beg Trisha or Alicia to suddenly jump and yell ‘April Fools!’. 

They did no such thing. Trisha had a horrified look, a hand plastered against her mouth. Alicia’s arm had gone around the blonde girl’s shoulder. Clover let out a small horrified gasp and Robin turned back around. Madam Pomfrey was levitating Mark’s petrified body into the infirmary. 

Time stood still for a while. Professor Flitwick was explaining how Cho Chang, the third-year Ravenclaw, had found him a few corridors down from Flitwick’s office. Robin had tuned him out though. He was watching Madam Pomfrey cover Mark’s body with a blanket and tug Lucas’s mirror out from Mark’s outstretched hand. 

He slowly approached the bed. He could feel his hands shaking slightly. Everything felt like a nightmare. Whereas Evelyn’s face had frozen in shock, Mark’s face screamed pure terror. His other hand was clasping his wand tightly. Madam Pomfrey didn’t even try to tug it out. 

Unable to help himself, Robin placed his hand against Mark’s cheek. Despite the tan colour of his skin, Mark’s face felt like ice. It was hard to the touch and unmoving. It felt so wrong to see the brunet so still yet so terrified. Robin couldn’t tear his gaze away, despite the overwhelming sadness and panic that was crawling its way up to his heart. He felt Lucas’s presence behind him soon enough. He was certain that Clover, Trisha, and Alicia were also there but he couldn’t be bothered to look. 

Hours later, they all numbly made their way back to their common room. Michael had eventually stopped by. He had hugged Alicia tightly and offered words of comfort to the rest. They had mostly fallen on deaf ears. Lucas and Robin had yet to say something to one another but they had both stuck close to each other. 

Their common room was quiet. Everyone seemed shaken by the news. The kids in their year surrounded them with questions and, surprisingly enough, Lisa had hugged them tightly. Thankfully, the prefects stepped in and ushered everyone up to bed. 

“Did you see his face?” Lucas's voice cut the silence as they got ready for bed. “He looked so scared...I just wonder who he saw.” He sounded so shaken, it made Robin feel worse. Lucas was usually the strong one. 

“He had the mirror you gave him. He was probably checking the corners.” Lucas turned to look at him. “I think it helped. Pomfrey said something like that.” 

They both turned to look at Mark’s empty bed. It felt wrong. Mark should be there, reading a book or begging for them to shut up and let him sleep. They both stood in silence until Lucas made his way over and into Robin’s bed. 

Robin turned off the lights and got in as well. He wasn’t about to protest. It had been a while since they shared a bed and usually, they fell asleep on accident more than on purpose but they both needed company right now. 

“I miss him,” Lucas whispered after a bit. 

“I know, mate. Me too,” Robin whispered back. 


End file.
